Democracy For Azerbaijan

R adio Liberty is a United States government-funded broadcasting organization. It provides news, information and analysis. Information which is banned by local government.   More than 35 million people are listening to Radio Liberty throughout the World. The first broadcasting of Radio Liberty Azerbaijan was in 1953 from Munhen, Germany. In 1995 it has moved from Munhen to Prague. Since 2004 Radio Liberty had official office in Baku. The mission of Radio Liberty is to provide society with objective information and build civil society by supporting democratic values. It is fighting against ethnic and religious intolerance. Azerbaijan police raided the office of Radio Liberty in Baku, shutting down the office and ordering its journalists to stop working. The broadcaster has received no information on why it is targeted. Radio Liberty was a great source for Azerbaijan society to get the objective information without government’s interference.   We do not n...

In summer IREX became the subject of progovernment newspaper articles accusing it of attempting to organize revolution in Azerbaijan. Bank accounts of IREX were frozen in July and Baku office was raided in September as part of criminal case against local and foreign NGO. On October 8, IREX’S Washington office announced the suspension of operations in Azerbaijan Irex has worked in Azerbaijan since 1998. With UGRAD and Muskie programs many Azerbaijani students got opportunity to study in the USA for one year. IREX Deputy director Leon Morse has told to Liberty Radio on his interview “Wherever we work on independent media projects, the governments see us as a threat.   He thinks that it is closed because some governments do not want to give room for independent media.   I feel really sorry that now Azerbaijan University students will not have chance to study in the USA Universities   with UGRAD and MUSKIE Progams.

Journalist Khadija Ismayil was arrested on December 5th.  I had heard of Khadija Ismayil a long time before, but I had a chance to meet her personally in 2013 at Azadliq Radio Station. She seemed as very positive and kind person. Khadija Ismayil is an Azerbaijani investigate journalist who is working for Azadliq Radio Station.   She is the host of debate show “ İşdən Sonra” (after work) Today December 4th Khadija got arrested on charges of incitement to suicide.In fact Khadija Ismayilova had delved into the wealth of the country;s first family and after this she got arrested. Khadija Ismayilova has also been blackmailed in 2011. Intimate pictures and a video of her with her boyfriend had been recorded hiddenly. A letter with the pictures warned her to stop investigating about government corruption. When Khadija did not give up her video and photos got all on the internet.