Hey, you're busy! We know rferl.org isn't the only website you read. And that it's just possible you may have missed some of our most compelling journalism this week. To make sure you're up-to-date, here are some of the highlights produced by RFE/RL's team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days.
Horrific Killing Of Young Gay Man Puts Plight Of Iran's LGBT Community In Spotlight
The reported brutal killing of a 20-year-old gay man in the southwestern province of Khuzestan by his relatives shows the hardships sexual minorities face in Iran. By Golnaz Esfandiari
'Alone' Among Allies? Why Putin Shunned The West In Victory Day Speech
Russian President Vladimir Putin has often ignored the Western Allies' role in his May 9 speeches at military parades marking Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II. This time he took it a step further, saying the Soviet people were "alone" at the toughest times in the war. On-script or off, the remark speaks volumes about Putin's use of the war for propaganda purposes. By Steve Gutterman
'A Gift To Posterity': Four Men Who Risked The Wrath Of Stalin To Photograph The Holodomor
Despite the best efforts of the Soviets to suppress evidence of the terrible famine that killed nearly 4 million Ukrainians in 1932-33, a handful of photographers managed to defy the authorities by capturing the horrors of the Holodomor on film. Now, their work has been compiled online by researchers, who also uncovered several lost or unknown images of this human tragedy, some of which are being published for the first time. By Dmytro Dzhulay and Coilin O'Connor
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'Modest, Patient Boy' Killed In Kazan Shooting Laid To Rest
'Modest, Patient Boy' Killed In Kazan Shooting Laid To Rest
Funerals were held for the nine victims of the school shooting in Kazan, Russia, on May 12, including 14-year-old Amir Shaikhutdinov. His father thanked everyone for their support, while family friends remembered a "modest, patient boy" who "respected his parents and loved his brother." A 19-year-old has been arrested for carrying out the attack in Russia's Tatarstan region the day before. By Ray Furlong and RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service
Georgia's Hypermodern Parliament Building Faces Uncertain Future
The clear shell of the new Georgian parliament building in the city of Kutaisi was supposed to represent the transparency of democracy. But a decade after breaking ground on the ultramodern structure, its glass panels are opaque with dust and its grounds becoming a wasteland after parliament packed up and left in late 2018. By Amos Chapple
'I Wanted To See My Mom And Granddad': Belarusian Doctor Speaks After 105 Days In Prison
Anastasia Peravoshchykava spent 105 days in a Belarusian jail for taking part in rallies calling for longtime leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka to step down. After being released this week, she spoke of her ordeal and the relief of seeing family, friends, and greenery again. By RFE/RL’s Belarus Service
Romanian Nationalists Weave Xenophobic Parable From Poaching Death Of 'Arthur The Bear'
Prince Emanuel von und zu Liechtenstein threw red meat to Romania's nationalists in the alleged trophy killing of one of that country's biggest brown bears. By Cristian Andrei and Andy Heil
China Deepens Its Balkans Ties Using Serbian Universities
With Beijing’s growing role in higher education, Serbia is becoming the “poster child” in the region for cooperation with China. By Reid Standish, Ljudmila Cvetkovic, and Maja Zivanovic
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'It's A Jail': Afghan Migrants Shun Romanian Asylum Center For Squalor Of Abandoned Buildings
'It's A Jail': Afghan Migrants Shun Romanian Asylum Center For Squalor Of Abandoned Buildings
Humanitarian groups are calling on Romanian authorities to help hundreds of migrants who are living in abandoned buildings in the city of Timisoara. The majority come from Afghanistan and say the squalid conditions are better than living in the local asylum center, where some have claimed they faced abuse. By RFE/RL's Romanian Service, Mircea Barbu, and Stuart Greer
Still Standing, But For How Long? Ramadan Prayers And Iftar At Kazan's Oldest Wooden Mosque
Built in 1910, the Rajab is Kazan's oldest wooden mosque and boasts a long and eventful history, including a fire, the Bolshevik execution of its first imam, and forced closure by the Soviets. But despite surviving everything the turbulent 20th century could throw at it, this historic building now faces what is perhaps its biggest challenge yet. By Andrei Grigoryev and Coilin O'Connor
Russian Demographer Says Country's Official COVID Statistics Are 'Disinformation'
Demographer Aleksei Raksha, who was fired from Russia's state statistics agency after disputing its coronavirus numbers, says officials in Russia's regions are just making up pandemic statistics "out of their heads." He accused the government of President Vladimir Putin of jeopardizing public health for its political ends. By Svetlana Prokopyeva and Robert Coalson