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.
We are also including content here from Gandhara, an RFE/RL website focusing on developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In Serbia, A Toxic Mix Of Nationalism And Animal Rights
The far-right group, Levijatan (Leviathan), has become popular in Serbia, largely because of its vigilante campaigns that target and publicly shame people who abuse animals. With enthusiasm for parliamentary democracy at a low, far-right groups like Levijatan have grown and multiplied in recent years. And with animal rights proving to be a powerful gateway drug, Levijatan has a huge following and its leader, former child TV star Pavle Bihali, is seeking a pathway into politics, raising uncomfortable questions about the group's links to the state. By Aleks Eror
Beheading Of 17-Year-Old Shakes Iran, Renews Debate About Violence Against Women
The gruesome "honor killing" of a 17-year-old woman in Iran has shaken the country and renewed the debate about violence against women and the lack of laws to protect them. By Golnaz Esfandiari
Afghan Female Activists Disappear Following Kabul Protest
Friends and relatives of Afghan female activist Tamana Paryani say she and her three sisters Shafiqa, Zarghona, and Karima were arrested on January 19 by the Taliban after they took part in a Kabul protest. Before disappearing, Paryani posted a video on social media asking for help and said Taliban militants had showed up at her home. Taliban officials denied the sisters -- the youngest of whom is only 13 -- have been arrested and claimed the video was fake. By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi
UPDATE! Four Missing Female Activists Reportedly Released In Afghanistan
On The Front Line With The 'Badgers': In The Trenches, A Ukrainian Unit Waits -- And Fights Boredom
When the guns are silent at night, “your mind goes around in circles.” For members of one Ukrainian Naval Infantry unit, tasked with watching their adversaries across a snowy expanse, the fight – for now -- is as often as not against boredom. By Mike Eckel and Maryan Kushnir
'Forgeries': The Armenian Art That Azerbaijan May 'Erase' From Churches
Baku announced -- then partly walked back -- steps to remove what it calls "fictitious traces” of Armenian heritage from churches now under Azerbaijani control in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Archival images show what some of those inscriptions and artworks look like. By Amos Chapple
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'Song Is Our Weapon': Exiled Belarusian Free Choir Keeps Protest Spirit Alive
'Song Is Our Weapon': Exiled Belarusian Free Choir Keeps Protest Spirit Alive
Exiled Belarusian singers calling themselves the Free Choir are using music to keep the spirit of protest alive after fleeing their homeland. Before going into exile, the Free Choir sang in support of anti-government demonstrators and against the violent crackdown on protests following Belarus's contested 2020 presidential vote that was widely seen as rigged. They now perform in European capitals like Warsaw and Berlin to draw international attention to the plight of Belarusians living under the authoritarian rule of Alyaksandr Lukashenka. By RFE/RL's Belarus Service and Stuart Greer
The Baroness Who Photographed 1950s Iran
A rare collection of color images made by a European woman who traveled throughout Iran as modernization and political upheavals forever changed the country. By Amos Chapple
'Finlandization' For Ukraine? Macron's Reported Comment Hits A Nerve In Kyiv, Stirs Up Bad Memories In Helsinki
It was the bedrock of Finland’s Cold War foreign policy toward the Soviet Union. Could it be a model for Ukraine, in its conflict with Russia? The Ukrainians aren’t keen on it. Nor are the Finns. By Mike Eckel
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Kazakh Police Exhuming Bodies Of January Protest Victims Against Families' Wishes
Kazakh Police Exhuming Bodies Of January Protest Victims Against Families' Wishes
When Kazakh police exhumed the body of 37-year-old Bekzat Pirzada, his family protested. "We told them that we would not allow it. They said: 'No one is asking you,'" says his widow, Gulzhanat Kalieva. Pitzada was shot dead on January 5 during a wave of anti-government protests. Many other exhumations have taken place and families fear their loved ones will be declared terrorists by the authorities. By Ray Furlong and RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
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Along The Kyrgyz-Tajik Border, Residents Assess The Damage From Deadly Border Clashes
Along The Kyrgyz-Tajik Border, Residents Assess The Damage From Deadly Border Clashes
Deadly shootouts broke out along a disputed section of the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan on January 27 -- the latest of several violent clashes in recent years. At least two people died and many more were wounded. RFE/RL met with residents on both sides of the border as they looked at the damage and destruction caused by the latest skirmish. By Current Time