USA: RSF and a coalition of 36 human rights organisations urge Congress to protect USAGM journalists whose lives and freedom are at risk

On 1 April 2025, RSF, PEN America and 35 other organisations sent a joint letter to members of Congress calling on them to urge the US administration, notably the State Department, to allocate the necessary resources to support foreign journalists at USAGM, as many could soon face high risks if forced to return to their home countries due to their reporting.

“It is outrageous that these journalists, who risk their lives to expose the extent of repression in their home countries, might be completely abandoned. The US Congress must take responsibility for protecting these reporters and all USAGM-funded outlets, funded by Congress itself.  This responsibility is not just moral —it stems from the United States’ commitment to defending the principles of democracy and press freedom.

Thibaut Bruttin
RSF Director General 

USAGM, which was effectively eliminated following an executive order signed by President Trump on 14 March, distributes Congressionally-approved funds to public media outlets such as Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and Radio Free Asia (RFA). Their journalists provide invaluable independent news coverage, often on politically sensitive issues in countries hostile to press freedom.

The cost of this commitment is high. To date, 11 USAGM journalist employees are imprisoned worldwide: five in Vietnam, two by Russia, one in Belarus, one in Azerbaijan, and two in Myanmar. Some are serving particularly harsh sentences, such as Shin Daewe, a contributor to RFA’s Burmese service who has been sentenced to life in prison, later reduced to 15 years, on spurious charges of “supporting” terrorism.

What’s more, at least 84 USAGM journalists based in the United States on work visas now face deportation to countries where they could face prosecution and severe harassment. At least 15 journalists from RFA and eight from VOA originating from countries and territories such as Belarus, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Russia and Vietnam are at serious risk of being immediately arrested upon arrival and potentially imprisoned if deported, according to the two outlets.

The coalition's recommendations to Congress:

• Urge the State Department to assign the necessary resources to secure the release of the eleven USAGM-funded staff members currently imprisoned so that they are not abandoned to their fate.
• Contact United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) urging them to expedite and prioritize immigration applications or protective measures for these journalists who have worked with USAGM-funded outlets, and urge the USCIS and Department of State to push for a suspension of the 30/60 day period after furlough/termination at the end of which journalists right to stay in the US ends.
• Urgently schedule a hearing highlighting the plight of these journalists who have bravely reported for US-government-funded news organisations on issues in their country of origin and now face deportation due to their loss of employment. The hearing should explore avenues to ensure no journalist working for any media outlet associated with USAGM is deported or forced to return to a country where they risk persecution.
• Address via legislation the precarious legal status of these journalists, which has been jeopardised by the effective shutdown of USAGM-funded entities.
• Urgently request the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) resume its processing of green card applications for refugees and asylum seekers, including journalists who have been affected by the defunding of USAGM.

RSF remains fully committed to defending USAGM journalists. On 28 March, a US judge granted the motion for a temporary restraining order in a case brought by RSF together with a coalition of VOA employees and their unions to stop the Trump administration from dismantling the public service broadcaster.

The United States ranks 55th out of 180 countries and territories in the 2024 RSF World Press Freedom Index, having dropped an alarming 10 spots from 2023.