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Georgian groups defy ‘foreign agent’ law, team up to monitor crucial election

TBILISI, GEORGIA — An uneasy calm has descended on the streets of Tbilisi ahead of a crucial election on October 26, widely seen as a referendum on Georgia’s future.

Beneath the surface, there is palpable tension.

Campaign billboards, most for the ruling Georgian Dream Party, vie for voters’ attention with countless European Union, NATO and Ukrainian flags hanging from windows and graffitied on the city’s red brick buildings alongside anti-Russian slogans.

Six months ago, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Tbilisi to protest the reintroduction of a so-called “foreign agent” law, which compels any organization receiving more than 20% of its funding from overseas to register with the government and submit to detailed financial investigation.

A brutal crackdown on the demonstrations prompted Western powers to impose sanctions on some Georgian officials.

Critics say the law mimics Russian legislation used to silence political opponents and independent media. The Georgian government insists the law is necessary to show who is funding political organizations.

Defiance

The foreign agent law came into force in September. However, most foreign-funded civil society groups have refused to comply. Dozens of the organizations are now working together to act as election monitors amid fears that Georgian Dream may not easily give up power, even if they lose the election.

Among the chief targets of the foreign agent law is Eka Gigauri, head of the anti-corruption group Transparency International. Alongside other prominent civil society leaders, she appears on government propaganda posters, accused of selling out Georgia and getting rich on foreign money. Their faces are marked with red crosses.

“This is a matter of dignity,” Gigauri told VOA. “We are not spies. We are not undermining the interests of the country. We are the patriots of this country, and we served this country and the people of this country for many years.”

Transparency International has refused to register as a foreign agent, risking prosecution and heavy fines for the organization and its staff.

“We are using all the legal tools, everything, to fight, to resist, not to comply, to inform the citizens about the wrongdoings of the government,” she said. “Still, we see that at any time, the government can enforce this law.

“And now especially, when there is this preelection period and the majority of the NGOs are involved in observing the elections, definitely it will be [an] additional obstacle for us if it happens. However, it did not happen yet.”

Transparency International said most foreign-funded civil society organizations have refused to comply with the new law, with only 41 organizations having so far registered as foreign agents.

Free media

Tabula Media, an independent multimedia organization, is one of several groups seeking to circumvent the legislation.

“We had to reestablish the organization in an EU country — Estonia — which deeply complicates financial operations,” Tabula editor-in-chief Levan Sutidze told VOA.

“We are familiar with this path and where it leads. It leads to Russia, to the complete silencing of critical voices, to the annihilation of independent media outlets and NGOs, and it will have catastrophic consequences in the future,” Sutidze said. “Even if the situation worsens, we will not submit to this insult.”

The investigative organization Realpolitika has also registered its headquarters in Tallinn, Estonia, in a bid to avoid prosecution under the foreign agent law.

“For now, this law does not apply to us. However, this could change after the election,” said editor-in-chief Aka Zarqua.

“Pressure from the international community and the backlash within Georgian society have both contributed to the government not fully enforcing this legislation before the election, and we can see their partial retreat,” Zarqua said. “It’s clear that October 26 will be decisive in this regard.”

Backlash

For some civil society groups, navigating the foreign agent law has been a traumatic process.

The pro-democracy organization Shame was founded in 2019 after the ruling Georgian Dream Party allowed a visiting Russian prime minister to address lawmakers from the speaker’s chair in the Georgian parliament, prompting widespread outrage.

In August, the organization decided to comply with the foreign agent law and register with the government “because we believed there was no other way to save the organization and continue its work if Georgian Dream somehow managed to win the election and the law remained enforced,” according to Dachi Imedadze, Shame’s head of strategy.

The organization, however, reversed its decision after a bitter public backlash.

“It escalated into conspiracy theories and personal attacks, with people calling us traitors,” Imedadze said.

Shame is now campaigning to get young people to vote.

“One-third of young people, aged 18 to 25, do not participate in elections. This represents approximately 250,000 potential voters,” Imedadze told VOA. “Our main target audience is this group, many of whom will be voting for the first time in this election.”

‘Russian swamp’

Nino Lomjaria, a former public defender of Georgia, now heads Georgia’s European Orbit, a civil society group partly funded by the U.S.-based Soros Foundation.

Lomjaria and her team have traveled across the country urging people to turn out and vote. Their election leaflets mimic the election ballot but offer only two choices.

“It says: ‘Are you choosing European well-being or the Russian swamp?’” she said.

Georgian Dream insists it is not pro-Russian and wants to join the EU. Party leaders say they are seeking to improve relations with Moscow to avoid further conflict, accusing critics and rivals of being part of a “global war party” that is seeking to profit from war with Russia.

Lomjaria scoffs at that accusation.

“We know who starts wars. We know that the ‘global war party’ is Russia. It’s not the West. And for us, the European Union is the safe place. That’s why we want to join this community, because we consider that being the member of the European Union, being the member of NATO, this is something where we will find peace and stability,” she told VOA.

Election monitors

Georgia’s European Orbit has joined a coalition of nongovernmental organizations that are planning to monitor the election, “which is composed of up to 30 organizations,” Lomjaria said.

“And our plan is to be present at every polling station to observe the whole process of voting and vote tabulation. We will have evidence of how elections have been conducted in this country, and we will litigate if we find out that there was some manipulation or electoral fraud,” she said.

Gigauri of Transparency International doubts Georgia’s judicial system is robust enough to cope with such a crisis.

“The state institutions in Georgia are captured. This is a very unfortunate fact and the reality. Definitely it’s very difficult for everyone to operate. But we also see that more and more, it is very difficult for those institutions to deal with the resistance from the people,” Gigauri told VOA.

The government insists it will respect the election result.

“Georgian Dream is based on democratic principles, and therefore it will respect every decision made by the Georgian people. We will accept the people’s decision, whatever it may be,” Nikoloz Samkharadze, chairman of the parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee, told VOA in an interview.

“At the same time, I want to emphasize that we are confident the vast majority of Georgians will support Georgian Dream.”
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Death of ex-One Direction member Liam Payne at 31 shocks fans around the world

Buenos Aires, Argentina — The death of Liam Payne, who shot to stardom as a member of British boy band One Direction and grappled with intense global fame while still in his teens, sent shockwaves across the world Thursday as Argentine investigators continued their investigation at the scene.

Fans, music-industry figures and fellow musicians paid tribute to Payne, 31, who died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina.

As fans and media bombarded the Casa Sur Hotel in the trendy Palermo neighborhood of Argentina’s capital, the forensics unit worked inside on Thursday collecting evidence.

The Buenos Aires police said they found Payne’s hotel room “in complete disarray,” with packs of clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, as well as energy supplements and other over-the-counter drugs strewn about and “various items broken.” They added that a whiskey bottle, lighter and cellphone were retrieved from the internal hotel courtyard where Payne’s body was found.

The day before, police said that Payne “had jumped from the balcony of his room,” without elaborating on how they came to that conclusion. The Associated Press could not confirm details of the incident, as the investigation is ongoing. The medical examiner’s office said it was conducting an autopsy.

Police said they had rushed to the hotel Wednesday in response to an emergency call just after 5 p.m. local time that had warned of an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”

A hotel manager can be heard on a 911 call recording obtained by The Associated Press saying the hotel has “a guest who is overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol … He’s destroying the entire room and, well, we need you to send someone, please.” The manager’s voice becomes more anxious as the call goes on, noting the room has a balcony.

Payne was known as the tousle-headed, sensible one of the quintet that went from a TV talent show to a pop phenomenon with a huge international following of swooning fans. In recent years he had acknowledged struggling with alcoholism, saying in a YouTube video posted in July 2023 that he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment. Representatives for Payne did not immediately return emails and calls.

Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, who performed with One Direction in 2014, said he was “shocked and saddened.”

“God bless Liam, thinking of all his loved ones. He will be dearly missed,” Wood wrote on X.

Paris Hilton also sent condolences on X, saying the news was “so upsetting.” The Backstreet Boys said in a social media post that their hearts go out to “Directioners around the world.”

Dozens of One Direction fans flocked to the Casa Sur Hotel after the news broke, forming lines that spilled into the cordoned-off street outside, where police stood sentinel. Forensic investigators were seen leaving the building, from where Payne’s body was removed around three hours after the fall. Young women filming with their cellphones expressed shock and heartbreak as a makeshift memorial with rows of candles and bouquets quickly grew.

“I didn’t think he was going to die so young,” 21-year-old Isabella Milesi told the AP.

Payne was one of five members of One Direction, which formed after each auditioned for the British singing competition “The X Factor” in 2010, two years after Payne’s first attempt to get on the show. Aged 16 the second time around, Payne sang Michael Bublé’s version of “Cry Me a River,” appearing nervous at the start but warming up with the audience’s cheers and applause.

After each singer failed to make it through the competition as a solo act, Simon Cowell and his fellow judges combined Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson into what would become one of the most successful boy bands ever — even though they lost the competition.

Each member had his own persona, with Payne — who hailed from Wolverhampton in England’s West Midlands region — known as the responsible one. The band became known for their pop sound and romantic hits including “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Night Changes” and “Story of My Life.”

Payne had prominent solos on songs including “Stole My Heart” and “Change Your Ticket,” co-writing several of the band’s hits. One Direction had six Top 10 hits on the Billboard charts by the time they disbanded in 2016 and a highly loyal fan base, known as “Directioners,” many of them teen girls.

“I’ve always loved One Direction since I was little,” said 18-year-old Juana Relh, another fan outside Payne’s hotel. “To see that he died and that there will never be another reunion of the boys is unbelievable, it kills me.”

With his meteoric rise to fame, Payne had said that it took some time to adjust to life in the public eye.

“I don’t think you can ever deal with that. It’s all a bit crazy for us to see that people get in that sort of state of mind about us and what we do,” he said in a 2013 interview with the AP after recounting an experience where a fan was in a state of shock upon meeting him.

One Direction announced an indefinite “hiatus” in 2016, and Payne — like each of his erstwhile bandmates — pursued a solo career, shifting toward EDM and hip-hop.

While Styles became a huge solo star, the others had more modest success. Payne’s 2017 single “Strip That Down,” featuring Quavo, reached the Billboard Top 10, and stayed on the charts for several months. He put out an album “LP1” in 2019, and his last release — a single called “Teardrops” — was released in March.

In 2020, to mark the 10th anniversary of One Direction, Payne shared a screenshot of a text message he sent to his father on the day he joined the group, which read: “I’m in a boyband.”

“What a journey … I had no idea what we were in for when I sent this text to my dad years ago at this exact time the band was formed,” he wrote.

Payne had a 7-year-old son, Bear Grey Payne, with his former girlfriend, the musician Cheryl, who was known as Cheryl Cole when she performed with Girls Aloud. She was an “X Factor” judge during One Direction’s season, although their relationship began years later.

Payne was previously engaged to Maya Henry, from August 2020 to early 2022. Henry released a novel earlier this year that she said was based on their relationship.

In addition to his son, he is survived by his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne, and his two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.
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UK foreign minister to visit China to rebuild damaged ties

London/Beijing — British Foreign Secretary David Lammy will visit China on a two-day visit starting on Friday in a bid to improve relations between the two countries after years of tensions over security concerns and alleged human rights abuses.

Lammy will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing before visiting Shanghai to meet British businesses operating in China, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Thursday.

“It’s all about bringing a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing the U.K.’s position on China,” the spokesperson told reporters, adding that Britain was prepared to challenge China where needed but also identify areas for co-operation.  

Mao Ning, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said the talks would focus on improving cooperation in various fields.  

It will be only the second visit by a British foreign minister in six years after Lammy’s Conservative predecessor James Cleverly’s trip last year. Before that, there had been a five-year gap in a visit to China by a British foreign minister.

Labour, who won a landslide election victory in July, is seeking to stabilize relations with Beijing after clashes over human rights, Hong Kong, and allegations of Chinese espionage.

Starmer told President Xi Jinping in the first conversation between the two in August that he wanted Britain and China to pursue closer economic ties while being free to talk frankly about their disagreements.

China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng and British finance minister Rachel Reeves last month discussed how they can work together to boost economic growth.

Following the exchange, Beijing said it was willing to resume the UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue – an annual forum for talks on trade, investment and other economic issues, which had not taken place since 2019.

Under the previous Conservative government, Britain expressed concern about China’s curbing of civil freedoms in Hong Kong, which was under British control until 1997, and its treatment of people in its western Xinjiang region.

Britain and China also traded accusations over perceived spying.

China is Britain’s sixth-largest trading partner, accounting for 5% of total trade, British government figures show.
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Watchdog: ‘Serious questions’ over Meta’s handling of anti-immigrant posts

Meta’s independent content watchdog said Thursday there were “serious questions” about how the social media giant deals with anti-immigrant content, particularly in Europe. 

The Oversight Board, established by Meta in 2020 and sometimes called its “supreme court,” launched a probe after seeing a “significant number” of appeals over anti-immigrant content. 

The board has chosen two symbolic cases — one from Germany and the other from Poland — to assess whether Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, is following human rights law and its own policies on hate speech. 

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, co-chair of the board and a former Danish prime minister, said it was “critical” to get the balance right between free speech and protection of vulnerable groups. 

“The high number of appeals we get on immigration-related content from across the EU tells us there are serious questions to ask about how the company handles issues related to this, including the use of coded speech,” she said in a statement. 

The first piece of content to be assessed by the board was posted in May on a Facebook page claiming to be the official account of Poland’s far-right Confederation party. 

An image depicts Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk looking through a peephole with a black man approaching him from behind, accompanied by text suggesting his government would allow immigration to surge. 

Meta rejected an appeal from a user to take down the post despite the text including a word considered by some as a racial slur. 

In the other case, an apparently AI-generated image was posted on a German Facebook page showing a blond-haired blue-eyed woman, a German flag and a stop sign. 

The accompanying text likens immigrants to “gang rape specialists.”  

A user complained but Meta decided to not to remove the post.  

“The board selected these cases to address the significant number of appeals, especially from Europe, against content that shares views on immigration in ways that may be harmful towards immigrants,” the watchdog said in a statement. 

The board said it wanted to hear from the public and would spend “the next few weeks” discussing the issue before publishing its decision. 

Decisions by the board, funded by a trust set up by Meta, are not binding, though the company has promised to follow its rulings. 
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Germany outlines measures to strengthen domestic wind industry

Germany plans to introduce measures aimed at boosting its domestic wind industry, the economy ministry said on Thursday, amid concerns from European governments and companies over Chinese firms gaining momentum on the continent.

The measures will focus on improving cybersecurity, reducing dependency for critical components like permanent magnets, and ensuring fair competition in global markets, the ministry said following a meeting with unnamed European wind turbine manufacturers and suppliers in Berlin, without giving further details or a time frame.

China accounts for about 60% of global rare earth mine production, but its share jumps to 90% of processed rare earths and magnet output.

“We must continue improving conditions to keep this industry competitive and ensure future value creation within Germany and Europe. These measures are a crucial step,” Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in a statement.

The plan will also address securing financing for increased production and adjusting public funding mechanisms to prevent market distortion.

The ministry did not immediately respond to a request for further details.  

Tensions are high between Beijing and the European Union, the world’s two largest wind markets. The European Commission launched an investigation in April into whether Chinese companies are benefiting from unfair subsidies.
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Biden visits Germany, with Ukraine topping agenda

US President Joe Biden heads to Germany on Thursday, a week later than planned and on a compressed timeline after Hurricane Milton grounded him last week. Both he and Germany’s leader have been facing mounting pressure over their support for Ukraine — both having recently announced new security packages. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports.
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Georgia struggles to emerge from Russian shadow ahead of crucial election

Tbilisi, Georgia — On a clear October day, the snow-capped Caucasus mountain peaks of Georgia’s South Ossetia are visible from Tbilisi. Yet for most Georgians, the region is off-limits. 

South Ossetia, and Abkhazia farther to the west, have been under the control of Russian-backed separatists since 1992. Both regions broke away from Georgia during the collapse of the Soviet Union, in brutal ethnic conflicts stoked by Moscow.  

Russia’s historical influence looms over Georgia’s upcoming election on Oct. 26, which is widely seen as a referendum on a future aligned to the West or to Moscow. 

The ruling Georgian Dream party has pledged to reconcile with the breakaway regions and reunite Georgia. 

“I want to use this opportunity to address our people on the other side of occupation land in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) regions,” Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said at the United Nations’ General Assembly last month. 

“Whatever actions we take are done to help our people, so that one day with our children we can live together in one happy, united and developed Georgia. On this side of the occupation line, we will always meet you with an open heart. We have to rebuild all the broken bridges in our country,” Kobakhidze added. 

Russian forces invaded Georgia in 2008, before formally recognizing South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. Several hundred Georgian soldiers and civilians died in the five-day conflict. Russia’s troops still occupy 20% of Georgian territory, including the two breakaway regions. 

Yet the billionaire founder of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, blames Georgia for the conflict, accusing the “criminal regime” of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili of starting the war on the orders of foreign powers. 

“Immediately after the October 26 elections, those who instigated the war will face justice,” Ivanishvili said at a campaign event on Sept. 15 in Gori, a city briefly occupied by Russian forces in 2008. He said that Georgia would then apologize for the war. 

Ivanishvili’s comments sparked widespread anger among Georgians.  

Critics said it’s a stark example of Georgian Dream’s closer alignment with Russia — but this time, it backfired. 

“In this case, they didn’t get a favorable response from Russia,” noted political analyst Ghia Nodia of Georgia’s Ilia State University. “Russia stated that Abkhazia and South Ossetia are independent states, and reunification with Georgia isn’t going to happen.” 

Georgian Dream officials defended Ivanishvili’s comments. 

“In order to resolve this conflict, of course, there’s the issue with Russia, but there’s also the problem between Georgian society and the Ossetians and Abkhazians,” said Nikoloz Samkharadze, a member of Georgian Dream and chairman of the parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee. “Reconciliation won’t happen unless these societies forgive and apologize to one another.” 

The legacy of Stalin 

The weight of history on the upcoming election extends from well before the collapse of communism and Georgian independence in 1991.  

Giorgi Kandelaki is from the Tbilisi-based Soviet Past Research Laboratory, an organization dedicated to busting romanticized myths about the Soviet Union and uncovering the truth of Communist rule. He said Georgian Dream’s leaders, aided by Moscow, are attempting to rewrite the history of Georgian-born Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin — an effort to stoke divisive culture wars ahead of the election. 

“Many polls indicate that Stalin’s popularity is rising in Georgia, with him being seen as a model of Georgian patriotism,” Kandelaki told VOA. 

“This narrative paints Western civilization as a threat, for example by attempting to ‘make us all gay,’ while portraying the Russian world, with an emphasis on religion, as the savior of our souls. In this project, Stalin, as an icon of Georgian patriotism, plays a crucial role.

“Georgian Dream, especially its grassroots supporters and local leaders in the regions, also plays a role in promoting this narrative,” he added. 

More than 70 years after his death, the debate over Stalin’s legacy remains a live issue in Georgia’s election.  

The European Union has frozen accession talks with the Georgian government, citing concerns over a slide towards autocracy. Last Friday, EU lawmakers approved a resolution that expressed regret over the “growing cult of Stalin and the related increase in Soviet nostalgia in Georgia, supported by the ruling government, which underscores its closer alignment with Russia.”  

Georgian Dream strongly rejected that characterization.  

“This is utter nonsense and absurd. No one is promoting the cult of Stalin in Georgia,” Samkharadze told VOA. “I urge [EU lawmakers] to once again come to Georgia and show me the processes that supposedly contribute to promoting the cult of Stalin. This is especially offensive to me, considering I come from a family that was repressed by the Stalin regime.” 

The EU resolution, which calls for sanctions to be imposed on Ivanishvili, also suggested that the Georgian government was trying to bury the truth about what happened during Soviet times.

“Some of Georgia’s most important Soviet-era archives (including the archives of the former KGB and the former Central Committee of the Communist Party) have been completely closed since October 2023 without any explanation,” according to the EU parliament resolution. 

Giorgi Kandelaki of the Soviet Past Research Laboratory echoed that complaint. “Since 2013, [the Georgian government] has implemented increasingly restrictive measures, gradually making it harder for researchers to access these archives. Today, it’s easier to study Soviet archives in Russia than it is in Georgia,” he said. 

Again, Georgian Dream denied those accusations. “Regarding the archives, there are no restrictions, except for foreign citizens. Georgian citizens have no restrictions whatsoever,” Samkharadze told VOA. 

Georgian Dream insisted it intends to join the EU by 2030, an aspiration enshrined in the country’s constitution. The party denied it is pro-Russian, highlighting resolutions it has sponsored at the U.N. condemning Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. 

The party has held power since 2012 — but polls suggest it will struggle to retain its majority in the upcoming election.  

Aka Zarqua, the editor-in-chief of the website Realpolitika, said voters no longer trust Georgian Dream. 

“The strategic ambiguity they tried to maintain over the years — claiming to support the EU and the West, while simultaneously taking anti-Western steps — has collapsed,” he said.
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Two US radio stations end Russian-backed ‘propaganda’ programming

Washington — Russian-backed radio programmer Sputnik no longer broadcasts in the Washington market after years of criticism that its local radio station, WZHF, carries antisemitic content and false information about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Political cartoonist Ted Rall, who described himself as a guest on Sputnik’s programming, posted a comment Tuesday on X: “Biden/Harris say they’re fighting for democracy. Yet: today Sputnik News US is being forced to shut down today due to Biden/Harris sanctions. My radio show and cartoons for them are being quashed. So are the other amazing shows. I go off the air with the station at noon.” 

Manila Chan, a self-described indie journalist, tweeted Tuesday that she and Rall would be relaunching their show on YouTube “following sanctions that have shut down RT+Sputnik.” 

As first reported by The Desk, a news website on the business of streaming media, Sputnik stopped programming in its Washington-based market and three stations in the Kansas City, Missouri, area this week. 

Last month, the U.S. State Department introduced new sanctions on Russian-backed broadcasters, including television channel RT, for fundraising on behalf of the Russian military in opposition to Ukraine. The sanctions marked the first time the United States accused Russian broadcasters of providing direct and material military support. 

“RT wants its new covert intelligence capabilities, like its longstanding propaganda disinformation efforts, to remain hidden. Our most powerful antidote to Russia’s lies is the truth. It’s shining a bright light on what the Kremlin is trying to do under the cover of darkness,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month.  

The sanctions did not specifically prohibit the content of the programming but made it more difficult for Sputnik to continue buying airtime on U.S. stations. 

“As Foreign Missions Act-designated entities, Rossiya Segodnya, RIA Novosti, RT, TV-Novosti, Ruptly, and Sputnik will be required to notify the State Department of all personnel working in the United States. The entities will also be required to disclose all real property they hold within the United States,” said the State Department in a September 4 statement. 

RT and RT America, the TV and digital media company founded by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2005, directs Sputnik. Prior to this week, five U.S. radio stations carried Russian government-backed Sputnik programming. 

Shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the National Association of Broadcasters said in a statement, “While the First Amendment protects freedom of speech, however, it does not prevent private actors from exercising sound, moral judgment. To that end, given the unprovoked aggression exhibited by Russia against the free and sovereign people of Ukraine, NAB calls on broadcasters to cease carrying any state-sponsored programming with ties to the Russian government or its agents.”

“While we know that airings of such programs are extremely limited, we believe that our nation must stand fully united against misinformation and for freedom and democracy across the globe,” said NAB.

In January, Republican Representative Jack Bergman called on the Federal Communications Commission to revoke the license of Radio Sputnik Washington affiliate WZHF (1390) and its translator W288BS at 105.5 FM. In the letter, Bergman cited a steady stream of antisemitic tropes and false information about the war in Ukraine. 

“An FCC licensee clearly has a First Amendment right to broadcast. However, that right is tempered by its obligation to broadcast programming that is in the public interest and responsive to the needs of the local community,” Bergman wrote in the letter.

He also argued the licensees “have made no effort to ascertain the needs or interests of the local community” and that their programming decisions “are based exclusively on monetary considerations.”

In 2018, three Democratic members of Congress asked then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to investigate Sputnik’s alleged efforts to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. 

“In Washington, D.C., listeners need only tune their radios to 105.5 FM to hear the Russian government’s effort to influence U.S. policy,” the letter from Democratic Representatives Anna Eshoo, Mike Doyle and Frank Pallone said. “Disturbingly, this means the Kremlin’s propaganda messages are being broadcast over a license granted by the FCC.” 

Pai — a Trump administration appointee — declined to investigate, saying the First Amendment prevented the FCC “from interfering with a broadcast licensee’s choice of programming, even if that programming may be objectionable to many listeners.” 

A bipartisan group of members of Congress introduced the Identifying Propaganda on Our Airwaves Act in 2018. 

“Foreign governments shouldn’t be able to hide behind shell companies to fund misinformation and propaganda on American airwaves,” said Democratic Senator Brian Schatz, a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

“By giving the FCC the authority to require disclosure of this foreign propaganda, our bipartisan bill will help stop this practice and improve programming transparency on TV and the radio,” he said.

The bill did not advance in Congress. Federal regulations already prevent foreign governments from holding U.S. broadcast licenses. 
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EU, Gulf leaders meet for first summit as Mideast turmoil churns

BRUSSELS — The leaders of the European Union and six Gulf nations met for an inaugural summit on Wednesday against a backdrop of turmoil in the Middle East and struggles to find a unified position on the war in Ukraine and relations with Russia.

The summit was expected to last just a few hours and encompass topics ranging from visas and trade to the situation in the Middle East. It was unlikely to yield more than general commitments to improve cooperation.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that the summit was “long overdue” and that “the economic ties between the European Union and the Gulf countries need to be strengthened.”

“They are there, but they have the potential to be developed much, much further,” he said.

Officials said the EU would also raise human rights issues with their visitors, which include Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The United States, United Nations and others have alleged that aides of Mohammed and other Saudi officials killed U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, whose columns for The Washington Post were critical of the crown prince.

“Our outrage and revulsion at this horrific violation of human rights cannot be set aside for the sake of quick deals with dictators. EU leaders must confront brutal authoritarianism wherever it exists,” EU Greens legislator Daniel Freund said.

The 27-nation EU has long had relations with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council of Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait.

The nations of the European Union already find it challenging to find full alignment on Israel’s wars against Hamas and Hezbollah, and it will be difficult to find a strong common statement with GCC leaders, officials familiar with the meeting said.

EU members are also in disagreement regarding relations with Russia and Ukraine, with nations such as Hungary and Slovakia holding vastly different views on Moscow’s actions than much of the other EU states. At the same time, several GCC nations have much better contact with Moscow compared to EU members.
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EU, internal criticism against Hungary mounts over Russia, economy

Criticism is growing against Hungary’s longtime leader, Viktor Orban, and so are questions about the future of his country’s role in Europe. Hungary holds the EU presidency until the end of this year, and members of Hungary’s rising opposition are accusing Orban of working to undermine Europe’s security and unity. VOA’s Myroslava Gongadze reports from Budapest. VOA footage by Daniil Batushchak
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