Santander Elections: the political landscape is shaken - Santander - Colombia

Just eight days before the Chamber and Senate elections, Santander is already beginning to stir the spirits in the different campaigns.

Major events have been seen in the city and even disinformation campaigns have been the protagonists of recent days.

Only seven candidates will manage to keep a seat to represent the department in the House.

(In context: This is the political map to the House of Representatives for Santander)

“I am convinced that the renewal in the Chamber will be at least 87 percent. And I consider that 26 percent of the seats will be for the alternatives, while the remaining 74 percent will be distributed among the traditional matches”, says political analyst Ancísar Casanova who has followed the campaigns closely.

However, possible seats in the Senate are also beginning to be consolidated. The analyst, who has a polling firm endorsed by the CNE, indicated that there will be surprises.

“I am convinced that the alternative candidates will mark an important position; I would believe that the sum of these candidates will be above 150 thousand votes in the department. In the same way, I believe that Miguel Ángel Pinto, who is from Santander, is going to consolidate himself as the highest voter in Colombia for the Liberal party,” Casanova said.

For Casanova there is another candidate who is also running for the Senate, “I think that Néstor Díaz Saavedra will be a senator for the Democratic Center, since he is an experienced man, who is surrounded by businessmen and has recognition in the public sphere”, it says.

Everything is ready so that next January 13, a pre-counting of votes in less than five hours, as explained by the National Registrar in his recent visit to Bucaramanga. So it is expected that by 9 at night the names of the winners will begin to be known.

BUCARAMANGA

Ukraine, Pandemic, Economy, Political Divisions, to Dominate Biden’s 1st State of the Union Address

WHITE HOUSE — 

Escalating conflict in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic and — as always — the economy, are likely to dominate President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union speech on Tuesday.

The constitutionally mandated address is the rhetorical highlight of the year for the U.S. president. Joe Biden is no exception, but this year’s State of the Union — his first, although he has previously addressed a joint session of Congress — comes at an especially fraught time.

As if to underscore that, Capitol police said Sunday that they were taking extra precautions at the site of the speech.

A barrier is placed behind a security fence in preparation for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 27, 2022.

“Out of an abundance of caution, and in conjunction with the United States Secret Service, a plan has been approved to put up the inner perimeter fence around the Capitol building for the State of the Union Address,” said United States Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger. “I have also requested support from outside law enforcement agencies as well as the National Guard to assist with our security precautions.”

Ukraine crisis

The White House says Biden is likely, during the Tuesday night speech, to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and, his wider view of the world. But press secretary Jen Psaki stressed that the situation is rapidly changing — and the president’s words may evolve before he speaks in front of legislators.

FILE – White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Dec. 22, 2021, in Washington.

“We are in the middle of an active invasion,” she said Friday. “So I just can’t give you a preview of what that will look like in the State of the Union. As it relates to how the president views his approach to foreign policy — you know, the president ran for president wanting to return America’s seat at the world, wanting to return to a time where other leaders around the world could trust the word and the commitments of the United States, and what you have seen over the last few months, is the president deliver on exactly that.”

In the past week, Biden has delivered three speeches on the escalating crisis in Ukraine; but, in his deeply politically divided nation, analysts say Biden should expect a frosty reception when talking about what he describes as the greatest threat to global security since World War II.

FILE – People coming from Ukraine descend from a ferry boat to enter Romania after crossing the Danube river at the Isaccea-Orlivka border crossing between Romania and Ukraine on Feb. 26, 2022.

“The country generally rallies behind a president when we face an international crisis,’ said Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute. “If you watch [Fox News TV host] Tucker Carlson, or listen to Donald Trump, or know what many Republicans in Congress have been saying, we’re not going to get that rallying around the president by a significant share of the population. The tribal divisions are there now, for even things that affect American national security.”

Recent public opinion polls indicate the president’s approval rating has dipped since the early days of his administration, when the Gallup survey reported 57% of Americans said they approved of the job he was doing. The same group’s poll conducted in the first half of February reported Biden now has a 41% job approval rating.

FILE – President Donald Trump gestures while speaking as Russian President Vladimir Putin looks on during their joint news conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018.

Trump, the former president, has been outspoken in his support of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his animus toward Biden. On Monday, Trump criticized Biden’s energy policy and said, “This war should never have started in the first place.”

Trump continues to maintain, in the face of overwhelming evidence otherwise, that the November 2020 election was rigged, and said that under his leadership, the U.S. “would right now continue to have record-low gas prices, as it was under my administration, and we would be supplying the world with oil and gas.”

It’s the economy, always

Presidents typically use this speech to sell Congress on their domestic agenda and bills they want to pass. And there is one topic every president is expected to cover in the State of the Union address, says Jeremi Suri, a historian at the University of Texas at Austin.

“He will argue that the economy is growing, that unemployment is low, and that we are going in the right direction and that inflation has to do with supply difficulties and pandemic difficulties, which he is working diligently to solve, and which will be resolved soon,” he said. “And every president comments on the economy because they all want to say the state of the economy is such that we are getting richer, we are doing better than ever before. The only exceptions when presidents don’t talk about the economy are when we are at war ourselves.”

One thing that is certain: America, and the world, will be listening to what he has to say. The address begins at 9 p.m. Washington time, on Tuesday.

Beijing Olympics Get Political with Taiwan, Uyghur Questions

BEIJING — 

For two weeks and more, China’s stance on questions about its politics and policies has been straightforward: It’s the Olympics, and we’re not talking about these things.

That changed at the Beijing organizing committee’s last regularly scheduled daily news conference Thursday, three days before the end of the Games. The persistent and polite refusal to answer such questions gave way to the usual state of affairs at news conferences with Chinese officials — emphatic, calibrated answers about the country’s most sensitive situations.

Taiwan? An indivisible part of China. The Uyghur population of the Xinjiang region? Not being pushed into forced labor. China’s sovereignty? Completely unassailable under international norms.

“What I want to say is that there is only one China in the world,” organizing committee spokesperson Yan Jiarong said, calling it “a solemn position” for China. She referred to other assertions about China’s treatment of Uyghurs and living conditions in the northwestern region of Xinjiang as “based on lies.”

It was only a matter of time before these topics burst at the seams. The run-up to the Games was overshadowed by a diplomatic boycott led by the United States, which centered on China’s human rights record; China was determined to keep the focus only on sports but is also very committed to vigorously defending its stances publicly. In the final regularly scheduled briefing before the Games close on Sunday, Yan and IOC spokesperson Mark Adams were peppered with questions about Taiwan, Xinjiang and the safety of Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai.

Following up on a question about Taiwan’s reported attempt to skip the opening ceremony, Yan asked for extra time to address the status of the self-governing island, which China views as its sovereign territory.

“Mark, could I just make some supplementary remarks?” Yan said, continuing: “Taiwan is an indivisible part of China and this is a well recognized international principle and well recognized in the international community,” she said. “We are always against the idea of politicizing the Olympic Games.”

Adams was immediately questioned by a non-Chinese reporter who suggested that Yan, herself, had “politicized” the Games by raising China’s stance on Taiwan. Adams dodged the question.

“There are views on all sorts of things around the world, but our job is to make sure that the Games take place,” Adams said.

A Games volunteer, a young Chinese woman named Wei Yining, got a question she did not expect when a reporter asked if she knew who Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai was and, further, did she believe Peng was safe.

Peng, once the world’s top-ranked doubles player, three months ago accused a former high-ranking politician of sexual assault. Peng’s comments were immediately scrubbed from China’s censored internet.

“Well, I am sorry,” the young women replied. “I don’t really know that.”

One reporter asked Adams directly about the IOC’s position on the reported existence of “concentration camps” in Xinjiang, and whether China was using forced labor there. Adams suggested the question was not “particularly relevant’ to the briefing, and then went on to praise the power of the Olympics to unite people.

Yan again made sure China’s view was heard.

“I think these questions are very much based on lies,” she said. “Some authorities have already disputed this false information. There is a lot of solid evidence. You are very welcome to refer to all that evidence and the facts.”

'Caciques' with old political practices go for the camera in Bolívar - Other Cities - Colombia

Seven political forces, with six candidates each, seek to keep the 6 seats for the House of Representatives for the department of Bolívar, next March 13 in elections for the Congress of the Republic.

Known faces and surnames of the traditional politics of Bolívar aspire to repeat seats.

(Also: The scuffle between the Governor of Santander and the Deputy over passports)

Continuity of the same
political practices in Bolívar

There is a great intention of continuity on the part of the current representatives to the chamber for the department of Bolívar, and most of them are seeking re-election.

In addition, old bosses of traditional politics persist in pulling the strings of power from the camera but in a ‘foreign body’. This is predicted by experts from the Universities of Cartagena and Bolívar Technology, and anti-corruption monitors consulted by EL TIEMPO.

“There is a great intention of continuity on the part of the current representatives to the chamber for the department of Bolívar, and most of them are seeking re-election. It is clear that these are the same political families. That is, we are before continuity of the same political practices in Bolívar”says researcher Orlando Higuera, director of the Center for Political Studies at the Technological University of Bolívar.

(We invite you to read: In Cartagena there is greater satisfaction with motorcycle taxis than with Transcaribe)

The current Representatives for
Bolívar seek re-election

What has been the role of the Bolivarian parliamentarians and what political debates have they generated? None

The curator, Karen Cure; the liberal, Silvio Carrasquilla; Yamil Fernando Arana Padauí, backed by the radical change party; Juliet Viviana Jiménez Jaramillo, from Centro Democrático, and Alonso José del Río Cabarcas, from the coalition Partido de la U, Mira and Colombia Justa Libres, are the faces known by Bolívar in the congress.

Cure, Carrasquilla and Del Río Cabarcas each seek their third choice. Yamil Arana and Jiménez Jaramillo are in their second term.

(Also: Key witness in the Vives case has not received the reward that was promised)

They are all at the head of the list of their communities, and “they have the support of the local machinery, which would practically be assuring them a seat,” adds Professor Higuera.

Tensions, uncertainties and threats from the violent that could limit the capacity and mobility of voters as well as their electoral preferences.

Photo:

Santiago Saldarriaga / TIME Archive

Heads of the list that enter the race for the Chamber for the first time

In Bolívar, the cacicazgos operate under the structure of traditional clientelism, and since the election four years ago, the election is being prepared for a new period…

Javier Marrugo, a former port unionist, with the endorsement of the Historical Pact, assured this newspaper that he has never held a seat in Congress.

Less well known are Luis Mario Feria, head of the list of the Centro Esperanza and Salvemos a Bolívar coalition, and Raúl Bustamante, of the National Salvation Political Party.

(We invite you to read: This was answered by Mayor Jorge Iván Ospina to Óscar Iván Zuluaga)

Another factor to take into account during these electoral fairs in the 44 municipalities of Bolívar are the tensions, uncertainties and threats of violent groups that could limit the capacity and mobility of voters as well as their electoral preferences. This is how the lists are for the Chamber for Bolívar:

The letters of the Democratic Center

Juliet Viviana Jiménez Jaramillo, Javier Antonio Royo Curi, Angélica Patricia Alcocer Pinzón, Leonardo Rubio Blanco, Dagoberto Macías Cabrera and Yessy Carolina Palomino Estrada.

Names such as Juliet Viviana Jiménez Jaramillo, a merchant from Antioquia, who is also the legal representative of the street vendors of Cartagena, are well-known on this list. Also joining the contest is Javier Antonio Royo Curi, grandson of the popular former mayor of Cartagena, Nicolás Curí, and son of former congresswoman Marta Curi Osorio.

(It is worth reading: The Attorney General’s Office filed charges against former directors of urban control of Cartagena)

“When one consults the Visible Congress project of the Universidad de Los Andes and inquires about the political debates on crucial issues for the country such as tax reform, the budget and the fiscal framework for the medium term; or consult issues such as the Havana peace agreement, and what has been the role of the Bolivarian parliamentarians and what political debates have they generated, he discovers that it is null”. says Professor Amaranto Daniels, director of the Center for International and Caribbean Studies at the University of Cartagena.

Conservative Party and local chiefdoms

Yamil Fernando Arana Padauí, Juliana Aray Franco, Ángela María Vergara González, Kathleen Steffanny Quintero Bernal and Fernando David Niño Mendoza.

“In the list of the conservative party we can analyze that there are two regional chiefs. One is Vicente Blel, who supports several candidates, including Yamil Arana. The other cacique on this list is William Montes, who supports several conservative candidates,” says the former Secretary of the Interior of Cartagena, and former city councilor, David Múnera Cavadía. A Cartagena who as a lobbyist gave a fierce fight against corruption.

(We invite you to read: 75.5% of Barranquilla residents say they feel insecure)

Violent that could limit the capacity and mobility of voters as well as their electoral preferences.

Photo:

Jaime Moreno / TIME

Radical change

Karen Cure, Marlin Calderón, Dagoberto Santoya, Jennifer Caraballo, Luis Carlos Buena and Rayza Alejandra Ahumada Ochoa.

“Dayra Galvis pulls the strings of power in the Radical Change Party with a view to the Chamber, another old cacicazgo in Bolívar,” says Múnera.

(Also: They capture alleged murderers of an older adult who was dismembered)

Liberal Party

The liberal list is under the baton of Senator Lidio García, who today is the great chief of that party in recent periods.

Silvio José Carrasquilla Torres, Guillermo Manuel Peña Chávez, Sara del Carmen Castellar Arroyo, Dinneys Paola Rivera Marrugo, Óscar Javier Torres Yarzagaray and Martín Alonso Barreto de la Hoz

“The liberal list is under the baton of Senator Lidio García, who today has become the great chief of that party in recent periods”, adds Múnera Cavadía.

(We invite you to read: Candidates for peace seats in Antioquia denounce having no guarantees)

In the Historical Pact, a trade unionist
port tops the list

There are new actors who enter the scene but who have a political career, as is the case of Sandra Villadiego, who comes from the Partido de la U and who had her partner imprisoned for parapolitics.

Javier Marrugo, founder and general secretary of the Port Union of Colombia, leads the list of the Historical Pact for Chamber in Bolívar. They are followed by Carlos Vargas, Sandra Villadiego, Aden Elles, Colombia Villamil, Rayner Rodríguez.

“There are some new actors who enter the scene but who have a political career, as is the case of Sandra Villadiego, who comes from the Partido de la U and who had her partner imprisoned for parapolitics,” Professor Higuera analyzes.

(It is worth reading: Crimes of three women, in isolated events, shock Valledupar)

Coalition Party of the U, Mira and Colombia Justa Libres

Alonso José del Río Cabarcas, Jorge Claret Pérez Baldovino, Shirley Sanjuán Berrocal, Dora Inés Mercado Cortecero, Rodrigo Rafael Vargas García and Linda María Pinedo Puello.

“In Bolívar, the cacicazgos operate under the structure of traditional clientelism, and since the election four years ago, the election is being prepared for a new period. What we have historically had in the Caribbean is management from the clientele: with bureaucratic positions, state contracting, procurement of works, practices that persist like cement by votes”, adds Professor Daniels.

(We invite you to read: Crisis worsens in El Charco, Nariño: there are three mayors in six months)

Hope Center Coalition

Luis Mario Ferias, Leonardo Jiménez Molinello, Juan Carlos Pereira, Lilia Ariza, Elena Baez, Jorge Carrera. Jiménez Molinello, economist and director of Cedetrabajo, Bolívar chapter, stands out in this group.

(You may be interested: They offer $ 200 million reward for perpetrators of the attack in Meta)

“When one finds representatives with such long periods in the chamber, one has to ask what are the projects that they have developed for the department of Bolívar. However, today we see a very low execution of political control debates. Congressmen could also mark projects to help regional development, but these are one of the great pending issues that we have as a society”, adds Professor Higuera.

John Montano
Correspondent of THE TIME
Cartagena

More news in Colombia

This is the fight for five seats in the Chamber in Magdalena

Tolima teachers lifted the strike and returned to class

Daniel Quintero: the letter of cultural and political leaders against him - Medellín - Colombia

In a letter, 133 cultural leaders, citizens and politicians from Medellin expressed their disagreement with the mayor of that city, Daniel Quintero. “Medellin deserves another mayor”, is the title of the letter, in which the signatories say that the local president has
“disappointed”.

(Also: Trip to Miami, taunts to the GEA and the media, new inquiries against Quintero)

“Those of us who sign these notes join the concerns of many
people because of what is happening today with the mayor and the mayor’s office of Medellin, which
can be summed up in two facts: the loss of confidence in the mayor’s office and its mayor, and the
loss of spaces for conversation and collective construction,” it reads.

(You can read: The three investigations carried out by the Attorney General’s Office against Daniel Quintero)

Among the criticisms of the president, they point out that Quintero “destroys confidence in the public, by governing with lies and with the worst of politics: the negotiation of positions and contracts for the benefit of private sectors close to the darkest political clans of the city. and the country.”

In addition, they assure that the “recent transformation process in Medellin” has been ignored and they blame it for ignoring the work that different sectors of society have done together. “In the worst years of our violence, all those sectors were able to sit down together, based on our differences, to build common paths,” they explain.

(You can read: Daniel Quintero: recall committee challenged guardianship and will denounce the mayor)

Daniel Quintero, Mayor of Medellin

Photo:

Medellin’s town hall

The signatories also point out that Quintero is not “progressive” or “independent.” They affirm that he had the opportunity to “go down in the history of Medellin as a good mayor” for having obtained the highest vote in the history there and for the possibility – already wasted, they say – of “continuing and improving the main programs and projects that Medellín has managed to achieve because it has a solid institutional framework”.

Another of the points that they reject is the “political management” of: Public Companies of Medellin, the Good Start program, INDER, Metroparks and the Botanical Garden. Additionally, they criticize him for “confronting private companies (…) by classifying them as mafia” in order, as they say, “to open space for some of these companies to be bought by foreign capital.”

Added to the above are criticisms of the management of garbage collection and the reduction of the budget of the Ministry of Culture.

Finally, those who signed the letter conclude that in the city “the deterioration in the quality of life is evident, further aggravated by the pandemic. But the path chosen by Quintero does not lead us to assume, confront or resolve these problems and needs. Quite the opposite: their way of governing puts us at high risk as a city and as a society”.

(You can continue reading: Daniel Quintero celebrated the millionaire payment of Mapfre to EPM)

You can read the full letter below:

Barranquilla: mobile political advertising rules 2022 - Barranquilla - Colombia

Before the election day that is approaching (March 13) for the Congress of the Republic, the Mayor’s Office of Barranquilla regulated mobile political advertising or vehicle policy guideline.

(Also read: ‘Aida Merlano will be sued for false testimony’: Álex Char’s lawyer)

In accordance with the legal provision, this type of advertising must occupy an area less than or equal to 70 percent of the surface of the side where the advertising material is installed.

The size of the guideline is what determines if the driver has to pay a monthly amount of up to 233,000 pesos in white plate cars or 100,000 pesos if it is yellow plate.

Another modality is micro-perforated advertising, which does not hinder the driver’s visibility and is located on the rear window of the vehicle.

This modality is exempt from the procedure, that is, it does not need to be legalized, as reported by the District.

He also indicated that it is appropriate for citizens supporters of a candidateparty, political movement, social movement or significant group of citizens only within the electoral calendar for the Congress of the Republic.

In this sense, those in charge of ensuring compliance with this regulation through controls and operations will be the Secretariat of Urban Control and Public Space and the Secretariat of Traffic and Road Safety.

(You may be interested: Barranquilla registers a decrease in covid-19 pandemic indicators)

These are the penalties

Expand the opportunities for said parties and movements to use these spaces

The Mayor explained that apply offense B11consisting of driving a vehicle with propaganda, advertising or stickers on its windows that hinder visibility.

This corresponds to a sanction with eight current monthly legal minimum wages (SMLMV), which is equivalent to 249,686 pesos.

Actions taken by the District are reported to the National Electoral Council and forwarded to the urban process area so that they initiate the pertinent actions according to their competence.

This procedural action can generate fines that range from one and a half to 40 current monthly legal minimum wages.

“With reference to this provision on mobile advertising, it is to expand the opportunities for said parties and movements to use these spaces to place their advertising without any formality before our secretariat,” said the Secretary of Urban Control and Public Space, Ángelo Cianci .

BARRANQUILLA

More content from Colombia:

– Bogotá, the Latin American capital of traffic jams

– Teachers from Tolima, unemployed because they have not been paid their January salaries

– Erosion threatens the provision of water service in Salamina, Magdalena

RFE/RL condemns latest Kremlin threats as “political censorship” – USAGM

RFE/RL condemns latest Kremlin threats as “political censorship”

February 5, 2022

Washington, D.C. — Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) strongly condemns a sharp escalation of intimidation tactics by Russian authorities, which saw state media-monitoring agency Roskomnadzor overnight threaten to block eight RFE/RL websites serving audiences in Russia, Ukraine, and Central Asia unless they pulled down articles tied to corruption investigations by jailed opposition leader Aleksei Navalny’s team.

RFE/RL will not comply with these demands. Said President and CEO Jamie Fly, “RFE/RL will not allow the Kremlin to dictate our editorial decisions. This is a blatant act of political censorship by a government apparently threatened by journalists who are merely reporting the truth.”

Roskomnadzor sent more than 60 e-mail notifications giving RFE/RL 24 hours to remove content related to Navalny investigations from its two largest websites for Russian audiences – Radio Liberty and Current Time – as well as RFE/RL’s Russian-language sites for Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, and local sites for Russia’s Siberian, Volga-Ural, and Northwestern regions.

More than a dozen Russian publications, including the Newspaper Novaya Gazeta, as well as Dozhd television channel and Ekho Moskvy radio station, have received similar notices in recent days. Several decided to comply with the demands and removed the content. The move is the latest in a series of attacks against RFE/RL and other independent media and comes as RFE/RL has been extensively covering the unprecedented Russian military buildup for its audiences in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, rebutting Kremlin disinformation and exposing malign Russian activities.

In the past year, Roskomnadzor has issued 1,040 violations against RFE/RL that will result in fines of more than $13.4 million for its refusal to submit to the unjust and invasive content labeling provisions of Russia’s “foreign agent” law. RFE/RL continues to fight these fines in Russian court and has also filed suit with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over the law. In addition, 18 RFE/RL journalists have been designated as individual “foreign agents.”

On January 26, RFE/RL’s Russian Service was fined 3 million rubles ($39,000) for the alleged “public distribution of knowingly false information about the activities of the U.S.S.R. during World War II.” In fact, the existence of the published material is backed by documents from Russian archives – and RFE/RL is being held liable for actions that are not punishable under Russian law. RFE/RL is appealing the fine, not least to help defend Russia’s shrinking space for press freedom.

In a sign that the crackdown on press freedom may yet intensify, President Putin in late January issued an order calling for the creation of a new “register of toxic content.”

About RFE/RL

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is a private, independent international news organization whose programs — radio, Internet, television, and mobile — reach influential audiences in 23 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through USAGM.

RFE/RL condemns latest Kremlin threats as “political censorship” – USAGM

RFE/RL condemns latest Kremlin threats as “political censorship”

February 4, 2022

Washington, D.C. — Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) strongly condemns a sharp escalation of intimidation tactics by Russian authorities, which saw state media-monitoring agency Roskomnadzor overnight threaten to block eight RFE/RL websites serving audiences in Russia, Ukraine, and Central Asia unless they pulled down articles tied to corruption investigations by jailed opposition leader Aleksei Navalny’s team.

RFE/RL will not comply with these demands. Said President and CEO Jamie Fly, “RFE/RL will not allow the Kremlin to dictate our editorial decisions. This is a blatant act of political censorship by a government apparently threatened by journalists who are merely reporting the truth.”

Roskomnadzor sent more than 60 e-mail notifications giving RFE/RL 24 hours to remove content related to Navalny investigations from its two largest websites for Russian audiences – Radio Liberty and Current Time – as well as RFE/RL’s Russian-language sites for Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, and local sites for Russia’s Siberian, Volga-Ural, and Northwestern regions.

More than a dozen Russian publications, including the newspaper Novaya gazeta, as well as Dozhd television channel and Ekho Moskvy radio station, have received similar notices in recent days. Several decided to comply with the demands and removed the content. The move is the latest in a series of attacks against RFE/RL and other independent media and comes as RFE/RL has been extensively covering the unprecedented Russian military buildup for its audiences in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, rebutting Kremlin disinformation and exposing malign Russian activities.

In the past year, Roskomnadzor has issued 1,040 violations against RFE/RL that will result in fines of more than $13.4 million for its refusal to submit to the unjust and invasive content labeling provisions of Russia’s “foreign agent” law. RFE/RL continues to fight these fines in Russian court and has also filed suit with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over the law. In addition, 18 RFE/RL journalists have been designated as individual “foreign agents.”

On January 26, RFE/RL’s Russian Service was fined 3 million rubles ($39,000) for the alleged “public distribution of knowingly false information about the activities of the U.S.S.R. during World War II.” In fact, the existence of the published material is backed by documents from Russian archives – and RFE/RL is being held liable for actions that are not punishable under Russian law. RFE/RL is appealing the fine, not least to help defend Russia’s shrinking space for press freedom.

In a sign that the crackdown on press freedom may yet intensify, President Putin in late January issued an order calling for the creation of a new “register of toxic content.”

About RFE/RL

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is a private, independent international news organization whose programs — radio, Internet, television, and mobile — reach influential audiences in 23 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through USAGM.

Time for Political Decisions as Iran Talks Enter 'Final Stretch' — US Official

WASHINGTON — 

Indirect talks between the United States and Iran on returning to the 2015 nuclear agreement are entering the “final stretch,” with all sides having to make tough political decisions, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Monday.

The latest talks in Vienna were “among the most intensive that we had to date” on returning to the deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which former President Donald Trump pulled out of in 2018, the official said.

“We made progress narrowing down the list of differences to just the key priorities on all sides. And that’s why now is the time for political decisions,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to brief reporters on the talks.

U.S. President Joe Biden came into office a year ago promising to re-enter the deal, but Iran has continued work on its nuclear program and a deal has remained elusive.

The official said Washington has already laid out what it was prepared to do in terms of lifting sanctions that are inconsistent with the nuclear deal and that the ball was more in Tehran’s court.

“Now is the time… for Iran to decide, whether it is prepared to make those decisions necessary for a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA.”

“We are in the final stretch,” the official added. “Given the pace of Iran’s advances, its nuclear advances, we only have a handful of weeks left to get a deal.”

In the event of no deal with Iran, the official said Washington would have to step up pressure — “economic, diplomatic and otherwise” — in the face of Tehran’s unconstrained nuclear program.

The official repeated Washington’s willingness to engage with Iran through direct talks, saying it would be very much in the interest of the process given the limited time frame but added that there was no sign that they were close to doing that.

“We have not met directly yet. We have no indication that’s going to be the case when we reconvene,” the official said.