Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) President Jeffrey Gedmin has called the decision by the government of Azerbaijan to take foreign broadcasters off the air on 30 December “a sad day for the Azeri people, who will now find themselves without access to free and independent media.” The OSCE calls the move a “serious step backwards” for Azerbaijan and the US State Department says the decision “retards democratic reform in Azerbaijan.”
In Baku, the Azeri National TV-Radio Council formally ruled to ban all international broadcasters, including RFE/RL, VoA and BBC, from the airwaves effective 1 January. The move essentially guarantees a monopoly for state-controlled media and prevents any independent news broadcasts from reaching the Azeri people.
Gedmin rejected Azerbaijan’s suggestion that RFE/RL can broadcast effectively on alternatives to FM frequencies such as Internet radio or short wave. “Losing our FM frequency means losing 90 per cent of our audience,” he said. “Nevertheless, we will find ways to reach our listeners. Our mission of bringing uncensored news and information to the Azeri people is now more important than ever.”
Since the announcement two months ago that authorities were considering this move, Azeri advocates of press freedom have joined the US, EU, OSCE, and international media watchdog groups in condemnation of the regime’s efforts at stopping the free exchange of information in Azerbaijan.