State Department has seen reports that RFE, RL, and other outlets have encountered difficulties broadcasting satellite programming into Azerbaijan, representative of State Department said.

During the Thursday briefing Patrick Ventrell commented on reports saying RFE/RL news programming to Azerbaijan has been interrupted in such a way that it appears that it’s being disrupted and jammed by the government.

“We’ve been in touch with Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty and the Azerbaijan Government to discuss this issue. We think that Radio Free Europe is an important contributor to the Azerbaijani media landscape,” he said. “Its reporting provides a much-needed model of objective and independent journalism in Azerbaijan, and the United States strongly supports media freedom and freedom of expression in Azerbaijan.”