Radio Azatutyun - The Armenian branch of RFE/RL, Inc.

Logo of Radio Azatutyun - The Armenian branch of RFE/RL, Inc.

The Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) branch in Armenia, operating as Azatutyun, has been established since 2001. The branch operates as a subdivision of RFE/RL INC., a private, non-profit organization registered under Delaware law in the United States. RFE/RL is funded by the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM).


From the start of the Trump administration in 2025, USAGM faced significant institutional disruption. An executive order issued in March 2025 directed that USAGM be dismantled to the maximum extent permitted by law. This order triggered mass furloughs, staff dismissals, contract terminations, and suspension of funding to grantee broadcasters including RFE/RL and Radio Free Asia. As a result, Azatutyun's operations were affected by funding suspension.


The Armenian branch is not registered as a separate legal entity in Armenia but functions as an operational division of the parent organization. The branch was established for an indefinite period.


Azatutyun operates across multiple platforms. The radio program broadcasts on FM 104.1 through Radio Hay. Since 2018, Azatutyun TV has provided video content on cable television. According to studies conducted by Internews in 2023-2024, Azatutyun.am ranks as the most visited and most trusted news website among Armenian respondents.


The outlet covers political, economic, social, and cultural topics through daily news broadcasts, analytical programs, and multimedia content focused on events in Armenia and globally.

Key Facts

Business FormNon-profit
Legal FormBranch

Ownership

Individual Owner

Media Outlets

Facts

Founding Year2001

The Armenian Service of Radio Liberty began broadcasting in 1953 from Munich, Germany before establishing a branch office in Armenia in 2001.

Founder
  • United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM)

    Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is an international news service funded by the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), a US government agency that coordinates broadcasting in approximately 50 languages across multiple continents. RFE/RL broadcasts in 23 countries in 25 languages, including Armenian.

    RFE/RL was established during the early Cold War era of the 1950s with the core mission of providing objective news to countries where media outlets operated under state control and faced significant restrictions. The Armenian Service began broadcasting in 1953 as part of this effort to deliver uncensored information to audiences in closed media environments.

Employees50
Contact15 Movses Khorenatsi Street
0015 Yerevan
Armenia
yerevan@rferl.org
+374 10 54 40 19, +374 10 52 21 69
www.azatutyun.am/en
Tax / ID NumberBranch 02558572 State Register of Legal Entities of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia
RevenueMissing Data
Operating ProfitMissing Data
Advertising (in % of total funding)Missing Data
Other Influential People
  • Heghine Buniatyan

    Heghine Buniatyan has served as Director of the RFE/RL Armenian Service since 2021. Prior to this role, she worked at Azatutyun as Senior Editor and Editor-in-Chief of the Yerevan bureau, as a broadcaster, and as director of the Maxliberty Youth Program.

    Before joining RFE/RL in 2004, Buniatyan worked as a correspondent and anchor for Armenian Public Television's midnight news broadcast and as a freelance contributor to Internews, providing weekly radio and television reports. She holds degrees in journalism from both Yerevan State University and Moscow State University, and has completed journalism and leadership training courses in Armenia and internationally. In 2004, she received first prize in the OSCE media awards in the Best Radio Journalist category for her coverage of environmental issues.

Headlines
Data Publicly Available
ownership data is easily available from other sources, e. g. public registries etc.
Meta Data

Information about Azatutyun's activities is available on the RFE/RL website and through the Azatutyun.am "About Us" section, which presents the outlet's editorial policy and principles.

The Azatutyun.am website does not contain a dedicated staff section, does not name the Editor-in-Chief, and does not disclose financial information.

Data regarding the Armenian branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is available in the State Register of Legal Entities of the Republic of Armenia.

Information about the approximate number of employees was provided by Heghine Buniatyan, Director of the RFE/RL Armenian Service.

Sources
Documents (PDF)
  • RFE/RL Armenian branch profile (Armenian)
    Link File
  • RFE/RL Armenian branch CEO (Armenian)
    Link File
  • RFE/RL Armenian branch charter (Armenian)
    File