Uzbek Service
RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service relies on a wide network of local sources to uncover news and engage with audiences in one of the world’s most closed societies.
Website visits
(January–December 2022)
Facebook video views
(January–December 2022)
YouTube video views
(January–December 2022)
Instagram video views
(January–December 2022)
About the Service
Since 1953, Radio Ozodlik is an essential alternative to state-run media that counters government disinformation and Russian propaganda.
Known for investigative reports of money laundering and public corruption, facilitating oversight and accountability, and breaking news coverage.
Following an investigation into the death of a driver in Samarkand’s Kattaqorgon district, police officers were arrested and charged with criminal negligence and abuse of power.
Reaching Audiences
Media Climate
Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index ranks Uzbekistan 137th out of 180 countries.
Operates from Prague since Tashkent Bureau closed in 2005 after reporting on the Andijan Massacre; websites blocked.
Radio Ozodlik journalists received death threats before the 2021 presidential election.
Awards
The Society of Publishers of Asia’s 2022 Awards
The Society of Publishers of Asia’s 2022 Awards for Editorial Excellence honored Ozodlik for uncovering President Mirziyoyev’s secret compound and water reservoir.
Latest Updates
RFE/RL President Jamie Fly Visits Central Asia
During visits to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan this week, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) President & CEO Jamie Fly met with top government officials, human rights activists, and independent journalists.
RFE/RL Reporters Faced ‘Relentless Pressure’ In 12 Of 23 Countries In 2017
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) journalists have been targeted in no fewer than 38 incidents in at least 12 of the countries they cover in 2017.
Service Director
Alisher Sidikov
Alisher Sidikov is the Service Director of RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service, known locally as Radio Ozodlik. Under his leadership, the service has become a pioneer in using the latest digital platforms to break the information blockade in one of the world’s most closed societies. Sidikov reported on the Andijon massacre in Uzbekistan in 2005, and earlier worked for the BBC’s Uzbek service in Tashkent and London. He was named “Journalist of the Year” by Reporters Without Borders-Stockholm in 2005. He holds an M.A. and B.A. in Middle East Politics and Arabic Studies from the University of Oriental Studies in Tashkent.
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