America's broadcast voice in Russia will soon be silenced following Moscow's ratification of a new law that will force a legendary broadcasting company to abandon the Russian airwaves.
Radio Liberty (RL), a division of the U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe (RFE), recently fired a large portion of its staff after the passage of a Russian law prohibiting foreign-owned media outlets from broadcasting on AM frequencies.
The unexpected mass layoffs came as a shock to RL journalists and Russian human rights activists alike, and spurred accusations that the Obama administration is kowtowing to Russian President Vladimir Putin as he seeks to silence the democratic voice that helped topple communism.
"The timing of it, the way it was done, and the lack of explanation" sends an unfortunate message, said David Kramer, president of the human rights organization Freedom House. "It creates the impression, whether intended or not, that the U.S. is pulling out [of Russia], and that's not the impression we want to leave."
On Nov. 10, RL, known by locals as Radio Svoboda, will cease its AM broadcasts after nearly 60 years on the airwaves.
