WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on State Department & USAID Management, International Operations & Bilateral International Development, sent letters to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing concern over the safety of journalists affiliated with U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) networks, including Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). In the letters, the Senators urged the Administration to prevent the forced repatriation of vulnerable media personnel and to secure the release of U.S.-affiliated journalists jailed abroad.
“If U.S.-based USAGM affiliated personnel’s employment were to be terminated, the basis for their presence in the United States would be jeopardized – in many cases forcing them to return to authoritarian countries where they are at risk of being interrogated, jailed, or persecuted,” wrote the Senators in their letter to Secretary Noem. “USAGM funded journalism has provided a lifeline to people living under authoritarianism, offering objective reporting and information on American thought and institutions. If journalists doing this vital work are sent back to Beijing, Tehran, Moscow, or other dictatorial environments, their safety and security will be gravely threatened.”
“To protect the safety of U.S. and foreign-based employees who have answered the call to provide unbiased information in despotic and communist environments, we urge you to expeditiously address immigration matters for USAGM affiliated employees,” continued the Senators. “We stand ready to support your efforts to help those journalists and employees who have demonstrated a commitment to U.S. interests and values.”
In a separate letter to Secretary Rubio, the Senators highlighted the cases of journalists imprisoned in countries such as Iran, Belarus, Vietnam and Russia.
“Since the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) terminated grants for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia (RFA), the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN), Voice of America (VOA), and Open Technology Fund (OTF), we have been concerned that jailed journalists affiliated with these networks risk being left behind,” wrote the Senators. “These journalists have worked tirelessly to advance U.S. interests and values by providing truth in countries with no press freedom, or countries which are in transition.”
“We request that you with regularity use the voice of the United States to raise concern about their cases, and direct relevant regional bureaus, the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), Consular Affairs (CA) and the Office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA) to engage on their behalf where appropriate,” the Senators concluded. “We also request that you provide a plan to secure these journalists’ release following grant terminations for USAGM networks and its entities.”
Full text of the letters to Secretary Rubio and Secretary Noem are available HERE and HERE and provided below.
Dear Secretary Rubio,
We write to urge you to secure the release of the U.S. affiliated journalists who continue to languish in Iranian, Vietnamese, Russian, Belarusian, Azerbaijani, and Burmese jails.
Since the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) terminated grants for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia (RFA), the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN), Voice of America (VOA), and Open Technology Fund OTF), we have been concerned that jailed journalists affiliated with these networks risk being left behind.
We were grateful for your leadership in securing the release of RFE/RL journalist Andrei Kuznechyk in February – making clear that President Trump prioritizes the release of those who have worked for outlets committed to the provision of accurate information in repressive environments. USAGM networks have historically led efforts to advocate for the political prisoners held in authoritarian countries. While we are grateful that USAGM has reversed course on grant terminations for RFE/RL and OCB, for as long as these networks’ status remains in question, it will be increasingly incumbent upon the State Department to stand up for their journalists. These journalists have worked tirelessly to advance U.S. interests and values by providing truth in countries with no press freedom, or countries which are in transition.
We want to call your attention to examples of a few journalists who serve as representative cases of U.S. supported jailed journalists around the world.
At least five USAGM supported employees remain jailed in Vietnam, two in Russia, one in Belarus, one in Azerbaijan, and two in Myanmar. We request that you with regularity use the voice of the United States to raise concern about their cases, and direct relevant regional bureaus, the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, (DRL), Consular Affairs (CA) and the Office of the Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA) to engage on their behalf where appropriate. We also request that you provide a plan to secure these journalists’ release following grant terminations for USAGM networks and its entities.
Dear Secretary Noem,
We write to express our concern for the safety of journalists and employees who work for U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) funded outlets following recent grant terminations for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia (RFA), the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN), Voice of America (VOA), and Open Technology Fund OTF). While we were heartened to see the Administration reverse course on terminations for RFE/RL and OCB, we understand that the status of many employees at these networks remains in question. If U.S.-based USAGM affiliated personnel’s employment were to be terminated, the basis for their presence in the United States would be jeopardized – in many cases forcing them to return to authoritarian countries where they are at risk of being interrogated, jailed, or persecuted. USAGM affiliated personnel based outside of the U.S. could also be placed in jeopardy of a forced return to their authoritarian homelands by their current countries of domicile were their employment to be terminated.
USAGM networks operate in countries without a free press or in countries in transition, and have endeavored to provide accurate, uncensored news to populations living in repressive environments. This work makes USAGM supported networks deeply unpopular in places like the People’s Republic of China, Iran, and the Russian Federation. USAGM funded journalism has provided a lifeline to people living under authoritarianism, offering objective reporting and information on American thought and institutions. If journalists doing this vital work are sent back to Beijing, Tehran, Moscow, or other dictatorial environments, their safety and security will be gravely threatened.
USAGM affiliated journalists have worked on stories about regime sponsored torture in Belarus, Uyghur rights in the People’s Republic of China, and protests in Hong Kong. Of particular concern would be the safety of journalists who may be forced to return to Afghanistan, Belarus, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Vietnam – especially those affiliated with Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, and Voice of America. Returning these journalists, who dedicated their lives to working for U.S. supported independent media, would be a gift to authoritarians including Xi Jinping and Aleksander Lukashenka.
To protect the safety of U.S. and foreign-based based employees who have answered the call to provide unbiased information in despotic and communist environments, we urge you to expeditiously address immigration matters for USAGM affiliated employees, including Praguebased RFE/RL journalists seeking naturalization for themselves, their spouses and minor children under Section 101(a)(27)(M) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Specifically, we hope that as USAGM affiliated employees request adjustment of status or pursue immigration applications, that you will prioritize these matters on a timeline that safeguards them from potential retaliation in their home countries. Moreover, we ask that you continue these employees’ visas should their employment status change, allowing them to remain in the United States until such a time as subsequent immigration matters have been resolved.
We request that you provide a briefing to our staff on your plan to protect the safety of these journalists and employees no later than June 6. We stand ready to support your efforts to help those journalists and employees who have demonstrated a commitment to U.S. interests and value
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