Human Rights

Kazakhs Seek Answers As Loved Ones Detained, Injured, Or Killed Amid Unrest

A dead man handcuffed with two bullet wounds, and a man with head injuries from a grenade taken out of a hospital by soldiers -- Kazakhs tell their stories of the ongoing crackdown following violent anti-government unrest that shook the country at the beginning of January.

The Faces Of Memorial: Those Who Created It, Helped It To Flourish, And Who Were Working For It Until The End

The story of Memorial is the story of thousands of people the group has helped, hundreds of volunteers, and dozens of members hard at work in Moscow and regions across Russia. RFE/RL looks at 7 people whose work displays the breadth, depth, and impact of the organization the state is shutting down.

Rape Case Puts Kyrgyz 'Courts Of Elders' In Spotlight

When the family of an alleged rapist was expelled from a Kyrgyz village, the case cast a spotlight on the role of a special judicial institution -- the Courts of Elders. The suspect is in police custody while a criminal investigation continues but a gathering of elders has already reached a verdict

The USSR Quiz: 15 Questions For 15 Republics

Join us on a trip back in time to the last years of the Soviet era and the beginning of a period that would test preconceptions about both sovereignty and democracy.

Tbilisi’s 1991-1992 War: A Ruthless Conflict That Had To Be Fought, Veterans Agree

From December 22, 1991 to January 6, 1992, brutal, chaotic fighting ripped through downtown Tbilisi over the rule of Georgia’s first post-Soviet, elected president, Zviad Gamasakhurdia. Current Time spoke with two veterans who say the Tbilisi war was a fight that could not be avoided.

Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya: Husband's 18-Year Prison Sentence Is Alyaksandr Lukashenka's 'Personal Revenge'

Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya: Husband's 18-Year Prison Sentence Is Alyaksandr Lukashenka's 'Personal Revenge'

In an interview with Current Time, 2020 Belarusian presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya condemned the 18-year prison sentence handed down to her husband, imprisoned blogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, on December 14 as Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s “personal revenge" for the opposition against him.

'The West Turned These People's Life Into Hell': How Belarus And Russia Covered The Migration Crisis

Belarus and Russia’s state-run TV crafted a single narrative in November 2021 to cover the illegal migration crisis on the European Union’s borders: The West is to blame, and Belarus is blameless.

Mighty Memories: Memorial's Fight To Remember Stalin's Victims In The Urals

Labeled as 'foreign agents,' Memorial activists in Yekaterinburg, Russia still refuse to forget the past

'This Is A Love Story': 15 Years On, Litvinenko's Widow Refuses To Let The World Forget

Former Russian security officer Aleksandr Litvinenko died in London 15 years ago of radiation poisoning. His widow has been working ever since to make sure his life and murder are not forgotten.

Near The Belarusian Border, Praise And Indignation For The Poles Who Offer Shelter

As thousands of migrants sought passage into Poland from Belarus, the few who made it through received life-saving supplies and refuge from a network of Polish activists and volunteer medics who have worked throughout the crisis to help those they believe deserve entry into the European Union.