RFE/RL writer at large James Kirchick reports from the scene of a police crackdown in Belarus as thousands protested the reelection of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Shocked by a series of violent gang attacks in their region, residents of one Russian town demand a stronger response from the authorities.

Iraqi women recently competed in the Miss Baghdad beauty pageant -- an event that was on hold for nearly 30 years during years of war and Ba’ath Party rule.

Ashura, the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram, is among the holiest days on the Shi'ite calendar. It is a day of mourning marked by dramatic displays of passion and faith by Shi'a -- including recitations and processions, reenactments of a key battle in Islamic history at Karbala, and massive scenes of self-flagellation and chest beating -- to honor the suffering and death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hussein, in his seventh-century bid to challenge the Umayyad caliphate. Beatific images of Imam Hussein are conspicuous among Shi'ite participants in ceremonies.

The controversial writer talks to RFE/RL about his revolutionary past, his views on America, Iran's nuclear program, Putin's Russia, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

RFE/RL correspondent Kristin Deasy speaks with Uzbek expert Marianne Kamp about the role of Uzbek women in society today. Pictures courtesy of RFE/RL's Uzbek Service and photographer Umida Akhmedova.

The number of new HIV/AIDS cases has dropped worldwide, but in Russia, the disease is still on the rise. The causes include poor public education and insufficient government-sponsored treatment and prevention measures.

Tajik police clashed with suspected extremists in the country's northern Isfara district last month, the latest in a series of violent incidents involving Islamic militants in Tajikistan.

A year ago, lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died in a Moscow prison after failing to receive medical care. The case prompted the prison system to begin improving its treatment of prisoners. But some say the changes are superficial at best.

A Czech film company is producing a historical movie based on the story of Lidice -- a town destroyed by Nazi troops in retaliation for the assassination of occupied Czechoslovakia's Nazi leader. Eager to honor the memory of the victims, some Czechs have rallied to support the film's production.