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RFE/RL journalists report the news in 27 languages in 23 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate.

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January 28, 2021
Watchdog: 'Widespread' Corruption Impacted COVID-19 Responses In Eastern Europe, Central Asia

Transparency International says that the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted "widespread corruption" in countries across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where it says "corrupt and authoritarian" leaders have reduced oversight of government spending and curtailed civil liberties.
January 27, 2021
U.S. Senate Confirms Antony Blinken As Secretary Of State

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Antony Blinken as the new secretary of state with bipartisan support.
January 20, 2021
China Dismisses Pompeo Designation Of Genocide Against Uyghurs

China has dismissed a declaration by the United States that Beijing is guilty of genocide against ethnic Uyghurs and other minorities saying the designation "is a piece of wastepaper."
October 29, 2020
Afghanistan, Pakistan Singled Out For 'Entrenched' Impunity In Killings Of Journalists

Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Russia remain near the top on the list of countries where the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says "impunity" in cases of murdered journalists is "entrenched."
October 26, 2020
Muslim Anger Aimed At France Grows Over Cartoon Row

France faces a growing backlash over images being displayed in the country of the Prophet Muhammad, which some Muslims consider blasphemous.
October 14, 2020
Report: COVID-19 Used As Pretext To Crack Down On Internet Freedom

Internet freedom has declined for the 10th consecutive year as governments around the world are using the coronavirus pandemic as a "cover" to expand online surveillance, crack down on dissent, and build new technological systems to control society, Freedom House says in a new report.
October 14, 2020
China, Russia Among Rights Abusers Elected To UN Human Rights Council

China and Russia were among 15 countries elected to the UN Human Rights Council on October 13, drawing sharp criticism from rights groups and the United States over their abysmal human rights records.
October 08, 2020
Trump Says He Wants All U.S. Troops Out Of Afghanistan By Christmas

U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants all U.S. troops to leave Afghanistan by Christmas, which would be sooner than he previously proposed and a speedier withdrawal than his national security adviser outlined in a speech earlier on October 7.
September 30, 2020
Leading Afghan Peace Negotiator Urges Fresh Start In Relations With Pakistan

Afghanistan’s top peace negotiator says Afghanistan and Pakistan are on the threshold of a new relationship characterized by “mutual respect, sincere cooperation, and shared prosperity.”
September 30, 2020
Suspect In Paris Stabbing Attack To Be Investigated By Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor

A Pakistani man accused of wounding two people with a meat cleaver in front of the former offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris on September 25 is being formally investigated by the anti-terrorism prosecutor.
September 28, 2020
Pakistani Opposition Leader Arrested Ahead Of Planned Protests

Pakistan's anti-graft body has arrested opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif before planned protests next month by his party, which is seeking to force Prime Minister Imran Khan's resignation.
September 28, 2020
Top Afghan Negotiator In Pakistan As Talks With Taliban Continue

Afghanistan's top peace negotiator has arrived in neighboring Pakistan as intra-Afghan peace negotiations are under way in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar.
September 28, 2020
Pakistani Supreme Court Accepts Appeal From Daniel Pearl's Family

Pakistan's Supreme Court has accepted an appeal by the family of slain American journalist Daniel Pearl challenging the acquittal of a British-born Pakistani man accused of murdering the Wall Street Journal reporter in 2002.
September 26, 2020
Pakistani Suspect Links Paris Stabbings To Charlie Hebdo Magazine

The Pakistan-born teenager arrested on suspicion of stabbing two people with a meat cleaver has admitted to deliberately targeting the former Paris office of Charlie Hebdo magazine.
September 26, 2020
U.S. Envoy For Afghanistan Says Taliban Won't Accept Permanent Cease-Fire Until Political Agreement

Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy for Afghanistan, has predicted the Taliban will not accept a permanent truce until a political deal is reached with the Afghan government.
September 25, 2020
Pakistani, Algerian Suspects Arrested In Paris 'Terrorist-Related' Attack

France's counterterrorism prosecutor's office has opened an investigation after two people were wounded in a knife assault in Paris near the former offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo -- the scene of a 2015 terrorist attack that killed 12 people.
September 25, 2020
Prominent Kashmiri Lawyer Shot Dead In Srinagar

A prominent lawyer has been shot dead in Srinagar, the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
September 25, 2020
Afghan Forces Reportedly Kill 65 Taliban Fighters In Fierce Battle

Afghan government forces claim to have killed 65 Taliban militants during a battle in the nation’s eastern provinces as fighting continues to rage between the two sides while they hold peace talks.
September 24, 2020
Ghani Urges World To Support Peace In Afghanistan In Speech To UN

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has urged the world to help his country achieve peace amid talks with the Taliban aimed at ending nearly two decades of conflict.
September 23, 2020
Freed Taliban Fighters Returning To Battlefield, Top Afghan Negotiator Says

A number of Taliban prisoners who were released by the Afghan government as a condition for peace talks have returned to the battlefield, lead Kabul negotiator Abdullah Abdullah has said.

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