Employees at RFE/RL’s Baku bureau whose computers were seized in a recent raid by Azerbaijani authorities say their private e-mail accounts have been compromised since the raid.
The incident is the latest development related to a government crackdown against RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service, known locally as Radio Azadliq.
Investigators from the state prosecutor’s office who raided RFE/RL’s Baku bureau on December 26 seized computers, hard drives, and other equipment before sealing off the premises.
RFE/RL correspondents have said messages appeared to have subsequently been sent from their private e-mail accounts by an unknown person or persons.
More than 20 current and former RFE/RL employees have been detained or summoned for questioning by prosecutors since the raid.
On January 7, the regional prosecutor in Imishli ordered RFE/RL’s correspondent in the region to appear for questioning on January 8.
The government’s focus on Radio Azadliq comes amid a broader crackdown it has launched against independent journalists, activists, and nongovernmental organizations that have criticized authorities in the oil-rich Caspian country.
