Tajik Service
Radio Ozodi is a trusted and popular media outlet reporting on issues rarely covered by Tajikistan’s state-run media.
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About the Service
Launched in 1953, RFE/RL’s Tajik Service, Radio Ozodi, operates from its bureau in Dushanbe.
The Service is a critical source of news for millions of Tajik citizens and an estimated one million Tajik labor migrants in Russia, countering disinformation about Russia’s war in Ukraine.
In an award-winning cross-border investigation with RFE/RL’s Balkan Service, journalists exposed the extensive environmental damage caused by Chinese-owned mines in Serbia and Tajikistan.
The Service uncovered how Chinese companies are exploiting Tajikistan’s vast mineral resources, harming public health and the environment.
An investigation by the Service revealed that a sanctioned Russian company, which leases land in Tajikistan, has been producing uniforms for Russian soldiers fighting in the Kremlin’s war on Ukraine.
Radio Ozodi reporters interviewed relatives of the suspects in the March 2024 Moscow Crocus City Hall terrorist attack and continue to provide updates on the trial.
On its popular YouTube show, “Good Morning,” top stories are quickly summarized for viewers.
Reaching Audiences
Media Climate
Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index ranks Tajikistan 153rd out of 180 countries.
Radio Ozodi journalists are frequently summoned to government agencies for questioning. Authorities routinely delay or withhold accreditation to Radio Ozodi journalists.
Latest Updates
RFE/RL Journalists Beaten In Tajikistan
In an escalation of harassment of journalists in Tajikistan, four RFE/RL journalists were beaten, threatened, and had their electronic equipment seized after conducting an interview.
Bipartisan Group Of U.S. Lawmakers Urge Rahmon To End Pressure On RFE/RL’s Tajik Service
A group of U.S. lawmakers has sent a letter to the Tajik President urging him to help end pressure and threats to RFE/RL’s Tajik Service journalists.
Threats To RFE/RL Journalists Multiply As World Marks Press Freedom Day
Media freedom is under severe pressure throughout RFE/RL’s 23-country coverage region.
Service Director
Salimjon Aioubov
Salimjon Aioubov is the Service Director of RFE/RL’s Tajik Service, known locally as Radio Ozodi. Previously, he was a senior broadcaster with RFE/RL’s Tajik Service, and Project Director for RFE/RL’s Central Asian Newswire, a platform that aggregates original RFE/RL reporting and other information for Central Asian media seeking independent news. Aioubov has worked for numerous Tajik print, radio, and television outlets over the course of two decades, covering the civil war in Tajikistan and UN-mediated inter-Tajik peace talks and refugee issues resulting from the war, Organization of Islamic Cooperation conferences, and Shanghai Cooperation Organization summits. He graduated from Tajik State University in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.