Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

"The Internet, once a vital lifeline for so many Iranian businesses, is now out of reach or unaffordable to all but an elite cohort." The current Internet blackout has dealt a devastating blow to Iran’s economy. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Radio Farda spoke with women inside the country who are struggling to stay afloat in the current environment. https://lnkd.in/emqhgFD7

Despite a Kyiv-declared ceasefire, Russian Shahed drones hit a kindergarten in Ukraine’s Sumy region today. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Ukrainian Service correspondent Alyona Yatsyna was on the ground to document the aftermath of the strike. https://lnkd.in/ddZXN3ga

"... freedom for one must never mean forgetting the others still behind bars. Today, I fight for my RFE/RL colleagues still unjustly imprisoned – Nika Novak in Russia, Farid Mehralizada in Azerbaijan, and Reza Valizadeh in Iran. Today, I fight for every American still wrongfully detained." At the 2026 James W. Foley Freedom Awards in Washington, D.C., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Alsu Kurmasheva and Pavel Butorin accept the World Press Freedom Award for their unwavering advocacy on behalf of journalists imprisoned by repressive regimes.

In the #WorldPressFreedomDay edition of Journalists in Trouble: Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court rejected Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Farid Mehralizada’s appeal, upholding his unjust nine-year sentence. Former RFE/RL journalist Reza Valizadeh was recognized by the One Free Press Coalition as one of the most urgent cases for journalists under threat. And more ⬇️

This #WorldPressFreedomDay, three of our Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty colleagues remain unjustly imprisoned for their work: Farid Mehralizada (Azerbaijan), Reza Valizadeh (Iran), and Nika Novak (Russia).  Farid Mehralizada is an economist and journalist for RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service, who has been imprisoned in Azerbaijan since May 30, 2024. From his cell in Baku, Farid has relayed the following message as he prepares to mark two years behind bars.  “In Azerbaijani prisons, once it becomes known that someone is a political prisoner, it makes little difference whether they were an opposition party member or a civil society representative in their free life—they are all simply labeled as ‘journalists.’ This, in itself, speaks volumes: today, journalism has evolved into a deeply risky profession, and the term ‘journalist’ has, in effect, become synonymous with ‘political prisoner’ in Azerbaijan.” Reza Valizadeh is a former RFE/RL journalist and U.S. citizen who has been wrongfully detained by the Iranian regime since September 2024. Since his arrest, Reza has faced increasingly brutal conditions and was sentenced to 10 years in prison on false charges in December 2024. Reza’s lawyer, Ryan Fayhee, describes the urgency of Reza’s wrongful detention: “World Press Freedom Day reminds us that journalism is not a crime—and neither is telling the truth. Reza Valizadeh’s wrongful detention is part of a broader effort to silence independent voices, and it underscores why defending press freedom is inseparable from defending fundamental human rights. Reza’s continued detention serves no legitimate purpose. His release is an easy, humanitarian step on which the United States and Iran should be able to agree—and doing so could help open space for addressing the far more difficult issues now fueling broader conflict.”  Nika Novak is a journalist for RFE/RL's Russian Service who has been unjustly detained in Russia since December 25, 2023. RFE/RL’s Alsu Kurmasheva, who spent nine months behind bars in Russia on false charges, on advocating for Nika:  “Every day that I was behind bars, I counted on the world outside not to forget me. I survived because people never stopped speaking my name. Now, we must do the same for Nika Novak, a brave journalist suffering the daily torture of silence, isolation, and cold in a Russian prison. We must keep fighting for her. That is what kept me alive, and it is what Nika needs now.” Journalism is not a crime. Join us in calling for the immediate, unconditional release of Farid, Reza, and Nika. Learn more about how you can support them as they endure unjust imprisonment: https://lnkd.in/geMSSPzB

📢 Free media in unfree societies.  As we mark #WorldPressFreedomDay, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty continues to reach millions of people every week with trusted news in countries where a free press is under threat. https://www.rferl.org/ 

On May 1, 1951, in the first official transmission from Radio Free Europe’s HQ in Munich, Czech journalist and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's first Czechoslovak Service director, Ferdinand Peroutka, said: “This is the voice of a free Czechoslovakia.”

Today marks 700 days of unjust imprisonment for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist and economist Farid Mehralizada in Azerbaijan. For nearly two years, Farid has been separated from his family, including a young child born during his detention. Earlier this month, Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court denied Farid’s appeal, upholding his nine-year prison sentence: https://lnkd.in/eYQCcPCq ✍ Ahead of #WorldPressFreedomDay this Sunday and the upcoming anniversary of Farid’s arrest on May 30, join us and #WriteToFarid. Send a message of support at the bottom of this page as he continues to endure unjust imprisonment: https://freefarid.info/

Four years have passed since Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Vira Hyrych was killed when a Russian air strike hit her apartment building in Kyiv. Vira’s death was a profound loss for RFE/RL. Her colleagues subsequently launched an investigation into her death, confronting key figures in the Russian chain of command. https://lnkd.in/e8xCDdeK

Forty years after the Chernobyl disaster, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Daryna Kolomiyets accompanied survivor Klavdia Omelchenko on an emotional return to Pripyat. Omelchenko reflects on her former home and the enduring medical impact of the catastrophe on her life. https://lnkd.in/dWjdcZr3