Armenian Service
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service pairs exemplary journalism with digital innovation to become a leading source of credible, independent news.
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About the Service
Radio Azatutyun is a leading multimedia outlet operating from a bureau in Yerevan specializing in digital innovation.
It provided up-to-the-minute, comprehensive coverage of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and continues to extensively report on the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, telling human interest stories about what ordinary people face in a post-war environment.
Published an open-source investigation revealing pro-Azerbaijani government supporters behind the Lachin Corridor blockade.
The Service conducts in-depth interviews with stakeholders in Armenia and beyond, tackling the most controversial and sensitive topics.
Reaching Audiences
Media Climate
Reporters without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index ranks Armenia 43rd out of 180 countries.
Radio Azatutyun journalists were targeted with Pegasus spyware during and after the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Awards
Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS
Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) recognized Narine Ghalechyan for reports highlighting discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS, which led to a change in government policy.
Latest Updates
RFE/RL’s JamieFly Presses Officials On Journalist Safety During Visit To Georgia, Armenia
RFE/RL President Jamie Fly addressed the importance of press freedom and journalist safety during visits last week to Georgia and Armenia.
RFE/RL Journalists Assaulted In Armenia
Three Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalists were assaulted in Armenia over the weekend during mass rallies against Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian that culminated in his resignation today.
Azerbaijan Seeks To Silence RFE/RL Ahead Of Presidential Election
As Azerbaijani citizens head to the polls to vote in a snap presidential election on April 11, the Azerbaijani Service website of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) remains under a…
Service Director
Heghine Buniatyan
Heghine Buniatyan is Director of RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, known locally as Radio Azatutyun. Previously, she worked as a Senior Editor with the Service since June 2016. She has previously served as the Editor in Chief of the Yerevan bureau, a broadcaster, and as the director of the Maxliberty Youth Program. Before joining RFE/RL in 2004, she worked for Armenian Public Television as a correspondent and anchor of the midnight news, and as a freelancer at Internews, contributing weekly reports for radio and television. A graduate of Yerevan State University and Moscow State University with a degree in journalism, Buniatyan also participated in several journalism and leadership training courses in Armenia and abroad. In 2004, she won first prize in the OSCE media awards in the Best Radio Journalist category for highlighting environmental issues.
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