CEO Bennett condemns Iran’s sanctioning of RFE/RL president

24 February 2023

CEO Bennett condemns Iran’s sanctioning of RFE/RL president

U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO Amanda Bennett responded to the addition of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) President and Chief Executive Officer Jamie Fly to Iran’s sanctions list with a message of support for the people of Iran and a condemnation of the actions of their government.

“This action by officials in Tehran is clearly part of their strategy to limit Iranian citizens’ access to uncensored information and intimidate those who seek the truth,” said Bennett. “The people of Iran have shown great courage in their fight for freedom. Despite the Iranian regime’s escalating attacks on the free press, independent journalists, and the open exchange of ideas, USAGM will not be deterred in our mission to provide audiences in Iran with independent, fact-based journalism.”

These sanctions come in the wake of the Iranian government’s deadly crackdown on demonstrators protesting the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, detained by Iran’s “morality police” for allegedly wearing a head scarf, or hijab, improperly, and follow a summer of unrest over poor living conditions and economic woes sparked by U.S. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

Fly is one of more than two dozen people and entities added to Iran’s sanctions list in response to new measures taken by the European Union and the United Kingdom against Tehran. RFE/RL’s Radio Farda was sanctioned in December 2022. The most recent sanctions ban those on the list from entering Iran and make it clear that their property and assets in Iran will be subject to seizure. The RFE/RL president described his inclusion on the sanctions list as “a badge of honor,” adding, “I am proud of the journalists at Radio Farda who are exposing government lies and cruelty, and reaching ever-growing audiences who want the truth. Nothing will halt our work.”

According to a USAGM survey conducted in early 2021, RFE/RL and Voice of America together reached 19.0% of Iranian adults on a weekly basis across all languages and media platforms, with a measured unduplicated weekly audience of more than 12 million adults in Iran.

Audiences in Iran continue to access RFE/RL and VOA programming, despite the government’s intensified efforts to block access to the internet, thanks to circumvention tools supported by the Open Technology Fund (OTF). Following the Mahsa Amini protests, the number of monthly active users of OTF-supported circumvention tools grew from 6 million to over 30 million users. That means 1-in-4 Iranians use these tools to access the internet and over 90% of USAGM’s Iranian audience uses OTF-supported Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to access USAGM’s content.

[Source: USAGM press release]

RFE/RL Expands Broadcasts to Afghanistan Despite Taliban Ban

30 January 2023

RFE/RL Expands Broadcasts to Afghanistan Despite Taliban Ban

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) award-winning programming is now available 24 hours a day for millions of Afghan listeners who have come to rely on the broadcaster in the last two decades. Two months after the Taliban removed RFE/RL from AM and FM radio transmitters in Afghanistan, Azadi, as RFE/RL is known locally, is doubling its time on air providing Afghans with independent news in the Dari and Pashto languages. From 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time Azadi is broadcasting on mediumwave on 1296 kHz, while during the second half of the day programming is available on shortwave.

This broadcasting milestone comes on Azadi’s 21st anniversary, and further solidifies RFE/RL’s role as a true public broadcaster – the only non-governmental radio broadcaster available 24/7 in Afghanistan. In the last two decades Azadi has become a staple of everyday life. Afghans frequently referred to Azadi as their “national broadcaster,” and its mix of news and information is commonly heard in public settings in the country, from marketplaces to taxis.

“Our expanded programming for Afghan audiences is indicative of the resilience and creativity of our team and their dedication to continue to reach our audiences in Afghanistan in the face of extreme Taliban pressure,” said RFE/RL President and CEO Jamie Fly. “Azadi will now be available for Afghans day and night to give them hope for a better future.”

Despite significant pressure from the Taliban, RFE/RL continues to provide bold coverage of stories suppressed by state media. Azadi has given a platform for the most vulnerable – women and girls, victims of violent extremism, the LGBTQI+ community, and youth — to share their experiences. At every step, Azadi has responded to the Taliban’s restrictive governance: when the Taliban forbade music, Azadi continued to play music on air; when the Taliban banned women from public life, Azadi gave women space to tell their stories; when the Taliban barred girls from attending school, Azadi and Learn Afghanistan provided a rigorous curriculum over the radio. For 21 years, Azadi has helped the powerless find community and hope.

In contrast to official Taliban claims, Afghans have again and again expressed their appreciation and gratitude to RFE/RL for providing a vital public service. RFE/RL will continue to find new and innovative ways to reach audiences.

Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists, and RFE/RL journalists have paid the ultimate price for their commitment to a free press. In 2018, three Radio Azadi journalists — Maharram Durrani, Abadullah Hananzai, and Sabawoon Kakar — were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Kabul. In 2020, Mohammad Ilyas Dayee was killed in a targeted bomb attack.

[Source: RFE/RL press release]

RFE/RL Opens New Offices in Vilnius and Riga to Reach Growing Audiences and Counter Disinformation

13 January 2023

RFE/RL Opens New Offices in Vilnius and Riga to Reach Growing Audiences and Counter Disinformation

This week, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) opened new offices in Vilnius, Lithuania and Riga, Latvia. Announced in March 2022, these offices are critical parts of a comprehensive strategy to counter disinformation and reach new audiences in Belarus and Russia with trusted, independent news and information.

At an event commemorating the Vilnius launch, RFE/RL President and CEO Jamie Fly was joined by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Speaker of the Parliament Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, exiled Belarusian leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Robert S. Gilchrist, former RFE/RL president and member of the RFE/RL Board of Directors Dr. Jeffrey Gedmin, and other esteemed guests. At an event in Riga, Fly was joined by Latvian President Egils Levits, Latvian Minister of Culture Nauris Puntulis, U.S. Ambassador to Latvia John Carwile, members of Parliament, and media and civil society partners.

“I am honored that RFE/RL journalists have been welcomed in Riga and Vilnius by the Latvian and Lithuanian governments and local communities,” said Fly. “Having served Latvian and Lithuanian audiences during difficult periods in their histories, we are excited to be able to return now to work together to provide new generations who are still denied freedom with access to unbiased reporting.”

RFE/RL’s Riga office will become one of the company’s largest reporting hubs, with state-of-the-art facilities. It will host journalists from Current Time — a 24/7 Russian-language news platform — and the Russian Service who were forced out of Russia in March 2022, as well as new staff hired in Latvia. The office will produce Russian-language content offerings, including investigative journalism and non-news programming for RFE/RL’s soon-to-be-launched streaming platform Votvot. Current Time’s popular morning show, which frequently trends number one on Russian YouTube, will be produced from Riga, along with the Russian Service’s signature YouTube news shows.

In addition to meeting the demand for independent news within Russia, RFE/RL’s Riga office will produce Russian-language content for audiences in the Baltics, wider Europe, and beyond. A new daily news program will cover the Baltic region, providing an important counterpoint to disinformation about the three EU members and the freedoms enjoyed by their citizens.

A Digital Innovation Lab in the Riga office will develop new reporting tools, storytelling formats, and distribution processes that are replicable at RFE/RL and within the broader media community. In partnership with the Open Technology Fund, the Digital Innovation Lab will examine new ways to respond to Russian censorship and disinformation across RFE/RL’s markets.

RFE/RL’s new Vilnius office will host journalists exiled from Belarus in the aftermath of Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s fraudulent 2020 re-election. However, the Vilnius office is more than a haven. Current Time will create new video products from Vilnius for Russian-speaking audiences in Belarus as alternatives to Kremlin and other state propaganda. RFE/RL’s Minsk bureau was raided and sealed, and the Belarus Service’s websites were blocked in July 2021. In December 2021, RFE/RL was designated an “extremist organization,” a label that criminalized both the reporting and consumption of RFE/RL content. Two Belarus Service journalists – Ihar Losik and Andrey Kuznechyk – remain unjustly imprisoned by the Lukashenka regime.

While in Lithuania, Fly met with Speaker of Parliament Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, Deputy Foreign Minister Mantas Adomenas, Deputy Chancellor of the Government Rolandas Krisciunas, Head of International Relations and EU Group Kestutis Vaskelevicius, and members of Belarusian civil society. In Latvia, Fly met with President Egils Levits, Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, and other officials for productive discussions about challenges to media freedom in the region.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, traffic to RFE/RL websites from within Russia has increased to record numbers despite significant Kremlin censorship. Both at the war’s start and at key moments, video views from within Russia surged, demonstrating the immense appetite of Russian-language audiences to know the truth. RFE/RL’s award-winning coverage is meeting this demand with extensive reporting on Russian atrocities, conscription, and more.

For decades, the people of Latvia and Lithuania have been enthusiastic consumers of and contributors to RFE/RL’s reporting — both from RFE/RL’s Latvian and Lithuanian services, which operated from 1975 to 2004, and more recently from Current Time. These new offices mark RFE/RL’s physical return to Riga and Vilnius, where the services maintained bureaus from 1992 to 2004.

[Source: RFE/RL press release]

RFE/RL sanctioned by Government of Iran

12 December 2022

RFE/RL sanctioned by Government of Iran

Today, the government of Iran added RFE/RL’s Persian-language service, known locally as Radio Farda, to a list of individuals and organizations sanctioned for supporting international terrorism or inciting violence.

For over 12 weeks, Radio Farda has covered Iran’s historic demonstrations that began in the aftermath of Mahsa Amini’s death. Through deeply sourced investigative reporting, exclusive interviews with protesters’ families and friends, and verified user-generated content, RFE/RL journalists are documenting the truth about the regime’s victims — including their identities — despite the Iranian government’s ongoing campaign to deceive the public and intimidate minority communities.

“Today’s designation is an absurd manipulation of the truth, straight out of every authoritarian playbook,” said RFE/RL President and CEO Jamie Fly. “The reality is that each day, the Iranian regime kills men, women, and children protesting for a better future, blames the victims, and abuses their families. Through it all, Radio Farda is trusted by sources and audiences alike to report on what is really happening.”

Despite significant state censorship, Radio Farda’s audience is growing. From the start of the protests on September 16 through November 30, Radio Farda’s video views increased 408% on YouTube and 619% on Instagram, compared to the same period last year. Social media growth has been driven by coverage that has gone viral. Radio Farda is also accessible in Iran via shortwave radio, playing an essential role for Iranians during a crisis in which the regime has attempted at times to block or slow Internet access.

RFE/RL’s service for Iran is one of the most popular and trusted media outlets in Iran, providing award-winning uncensored Persian-language news. Radio Farda is known for its in-depth coverage of the Iranian regime and its innovative use of anti-censorship technologies to reach audiences. Farda has a growing digital presence with millions of video and page views on its websites, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

[Source: RFE/RL press release; Image provided by RFE/RL/@vahidonline]

RFE/RL Condemns Taliban Move to Further Silence Independent Media

1 December 2022

RFE/RL Condemns Taliban Move to Further Silence Independent Media

The Taliban has removed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) award-winning programming from AM and FM radio transmission networks in Afghanistan.

“Azadi is a lifeline for tens of millions of Afghans, making the Taliban’s decision all the more tragic,” said RFE/RL President and CEO Jamie Fly, speaking on 1 December. “RFE/RL will not change our editorial line to accommodate Taliban demands in order to stay on the air. We know from experience that our audiences make great efforts to find us. The truth cannot be completely suppressed.”

For decades, RFE/RL’s Afghan Service, known locally as Azadi, has been a staple of everyday life in Afghanistan, commonly heard in public settings, from marketplaces to taxis. In a recent survey commissioned by the U.S. Agency for Global Media, half of Afghan adults surveyed use Azadi content weekly. Despite significant pressure from the Taliban, RFE/RL continues to provide bold coverage of stories suppressed by state media. Azadi has given a platform for the most vulnerable — women and girls, victims of violent extremism, the LGBTQI+ community, and youth — to share their experiences. Azadi has also informed Afghans about public health, provided school lessons for girls, exposed corruption, and helped the powerless find community and hope.

In contrast to official Taliban claims, Afghans have again and again expressed their appreciation and gratitude to RFE/RL for providing a vital public service. RFE/RL will continue broadcasts from outside the country, and will expand options to reach its dedicated audience through other platforms.

RFE/RL’s Afghan Service is one of the most popular and trusted media outlets in Afghanistan, providing uncensored news in the Dari and Pashto languages. Following the Taliban takeover, RFE/RL closed its Kabul bureau, yet Azadi continues to cover events ignored by state media. In partnership with Learn Afghanistan, Azadi has also used innovative and accessible platforms to provide lessons for girls in grades 7-12 now barred from attending school. RFE/RL’s Afghan Service has a growing digital presence to reach younger audiences, with millions of video and page views on its websites, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists, and RFE/RL journalists have paid the ultimate price for their commitment to a free press. In 2018, three Radio Azadi journalists — Maharram Durrani, Abadullah Hananzai, and Sabawoon Kakar — were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Kabul. In 2020, Mohammad Ilyas Dayee was killed in a targeted bomb attack.