Azerbaijani Service
Despite near-total government control over the media, Radio Azadliq has built a reputation as a leading source of independent news in Azerbaijan.
Website page views
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Facebook video views
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Instagram video views
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YouTube video views
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About the Service
Launched in 1953, RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service, known locally as Radio Azadliq, operates from Prague and leverages user-generated content and social media for reporting that audiences trust.
Radio Azadliq was the first broadcaster to report Azerbaijan’s independence in 1991, cementing its place as a historical source of crucial information.
In coordination with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, Radio Azadliq delivers in-depth cross-border reporting on Armenia-Azerbaijan relations.
The Service is widely cited by international media for investigative, open-source reporting on public corruption, government disinformation campaigns, political prisoners, and electoral fraud.
Radio Azadliq produces a range of innovative digital content, including video explainers, data visualization projects, and a popular cartoon series that offers commentary on pressing issues like rising consumer prices.
Reaching Audiences
Media Climate
Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index ranks Azerbaijan 167th out of 180 countries.
Radio Azadliq was banned from broadcasting on FM frequencies in 2009, the Baku bureau was raided and shut down in 2014, and the website was blocked in 2017.
Azerbaijani law enforcement is suspected to have targeted Service freelancers with Pegasus spyware in 2021.
Journalist Aytan Mammadova, who has worked as a freelancer for RFE/RL, was physically attacked and threatened at knifepoint in 2022 for covering criminal investigations.
In June 2024, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled the government’s 2017 decision to block access to Radio Azadliq’s website was unlawful.
In May 2024, Azerbaijani authorities unjustly detained RFE/RL journalist and economist Farid Mehralizada. In June 2025, Mehralizada was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Baku court.
Latest Updates
RFE/RL Journalist Farid Mehralizada Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison in Azerbaijan
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) called the case against Farid a “sham.”
RFE/RL’s Belarus Service Ranked #1 in Journalism Standards
RFE/RL’s Radio Svaboda recognized by the Belarus Press Club for outstanding reporting despite challenging media landscape.
RFE/RL Condemns Sham Trial of Azerbaijani Journalist
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) rejects the spurious charges facing Farid Mehralizada and calls on the Azerbaijani government to release him immediately.
Service Director
Ilkin Mammadov
Ilkin Mammadov is the Service Director of RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service, known locally as Radio Azadliq. Having joined RFE/RL in 2004, he has reported on major news events and played a leading role in launching several of the service’s signature programs on radio, TV, and the internet. Previously, he worked for Internews-Network and several local TV stations in Baku. Mammadov holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Baku State University.
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