Fast Facts RFE/RL's Armenian Service has been a consistent and dependable provider of independent information in Armenia for over 50 years. Today, it is regarded as the most trusted radio station in Armenia and regularly cited and reprinted by local media. Language: Armenian Coverage: Five hours 40 minutes per day Established: 1953 Distribution: Radio (FM, Satellite), Internet (www.azatutyun.org, www.azatutyun.am) Locations: Prague headquarters, Yerevan Staff: 6 in Prague, 6 in Yerevan, 40 stringers

 

Media Environment

• Freedom House Freedom of the Press Index, 2010: Not Free (146th/196)
• Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index, 2011: 77th/179
• Limits on media freedom in Armenia are primarily informal. The owners of most television channels are loyal to the government, and self-censorship is common. However, the government has taken more drastic steps in the past, as during the state of emergency in early 2008 in which all independent news was barred from national airwaves. Libel and defamation are punishable by prison terms, and these laws have been used to stifle voices critical of the government.
• Violence against journalists is also a problem -- Radio Azatutyun’s Yerevan bureau chief was brutally attacked by an unknown assailant in August 2008.

History

• Established in 1953, as part of Radio Liberty's broadcasting to the Soviet Union.
• Began broadcasting on FM in post-Soviet Armenia in 1998.
• Launched its online presence in 2001, with one of the country's most popular news websites.

Highlights

• Radio Azatutyun provided round-the-clock coverage of Armenia's 2008 election and the ensuing crisis, which left dozens dead and injured. During the crisis, the government blocked the station’s Web site, which over the course of the turmoil received nearly 1.5 million page views. Azatutyun’s reports on post-election violence were quoted around the world.
• Recent awards: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the British Council “Silver Microphone” award in prestigious competition aimed at covering the achievements of women in political, economic and social spheres; UN Armenian Association first prize in the “Best Radio Report” category; United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Armenian Public Relations Association “Responsible Coverage” award.
• The Armenian service’s website “Azatutyun.am” is one of the leading internet news sites in Armenia and among Armenians abroad. Azatutyun.am has more than 600,000 page views monthly, and that number continues to grow. The local news media is using Azatutyun.am as a newswire for covering local, regional and international events.

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Population
3 million (World Bank estimate, 2008)

Most Common Languages:
Armenian, Russian, Yazidi Kurdish

Press Freedom Index (Freedom House):
Not Free, ranked 165 out of 196 (2010)

Press Freedom Index (RSF):
77 out of 179 (2011)

Corruption Index (Transparency Int.):
123 out of 178 (2010)

Global Peace Index (IES):
113 out of 149 (2010)

Human Rights Watch:
Report on Armenia (2010)

Amnesty International:
Armenia Report (2009)