Following recent discussions on the potential closure of USAID, which has already caused concern among journalists and public activists receiving its grants, Elon Musk has weighed in on more U.S.-funded institutions. The billionaire has called for the shutting down of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Voice of America (VOA) – media organizations funded by the U.S. government.

Musk criticized the outlets, labeling their employees as “radical leftist lunatics who talk to themselves while burning through $1 billion a year of American taxpayer money.”

However, in Central Asia, RFE/RL’s affiliates differ significantly from their European counterparts. They are far from being “radical leftists” and, in general, do not adhere to any particular ideology. Nonetheless, these branches have faced their own controversies and increasing government restrictions.

The headquarters of Voice of America, Washington, D.C.; image: Stierch

Allegations of Bias and Internal Controversy

Concerns about RFE/RL’s editorial independence in Central Asia are not new. In 2019, former Radio Azattyk (RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service) editor Asem Tokayeva publicly criticized the network’s leadership under Abbas Javadi, an Iranian journalist who headed the Central Asian division. Tokayeva accused Javadi and Azattyk editor Torokul Doorov of turning the outlet into a propaganda tool for then-President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

In response, Tokayeva published a series of allegations on Facebook in early 2019, and by April of that year, Javadi was dismissed. Around the same time, Radio Ozodi (RFE/RL’s Tajik service) director Sojida Jakhfarova was also removed from her position following public pressure from the Tajik opposition. Critics accused her of aligning the outlet’s editorial policies too closely with the government of President Emomali Rahmon.

Shortly after, the editor-in-chief of the entire RFE/RL media corporation, Nenad Pejic, was also dismissed.

Growing Government Restrictions

Beyond internal scandals, RFE/RL’s affiliates in Central Asia have faced increasing government-imposed limitations:

• Tajikistan: Radio Ozodi has been periodically blocked in the country and has been inaccessible since 2021.
• Uzbekistan: Radio Ozodlik has faced long-standing access difficulties.
• Kyrgyzstan: In 2022, the Ministry of Culture officially blocked the Radio Azattyk website, citing content that was allegedly against state interests.
• Kazakhstan: In early 2024, 36 Azattyk journalists were denied accreditation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs due to alleged national security concerns. RFE/RL leadership had to intervene to resolve the issue.

RFE/RL’s Restructuring in Central Asia

In 2023, RFE/RL announced plans to restructure its Russian-language editorial operations in Kazakhstan. The media corporation confirmed that instead of maintaining separate Russian and national-language services in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, it would consolidate its efforts into a single Central Asian bureau.

“RFE/RL is fully committed to providing independent and impartial news to audiences across Central Asia in national languages and Russian,” said Karin Marie, Director of External Communications at RFE/RL. “We are working to strengthen our ability to cover the most important news in Russian, maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of our internal structures and processes. We will pool our resources and talents to create a new regional unit covering all of Central Asia, including Kazakhstan. This will reduce duplication and channel additional investment into high-quality journalism.”

Whether these restructuring plans will be altered in response to Musk’s remarks remains uncertain.