Radio Free Asia (RFA) has announced that if the court does not intervene to prevent the Trump administration’s decision to halt its funding, the broadcaster will cease operations entirely by the end of April. RFA stated this in a statement on Friday, March 28, according to British news agency Reuters.
The organization is engaged in a legal battle against the funding cut and has filed an emergency appeal to ensure access to congressionally allocated funds.
In a statement, RFA emphasized that this appeal highlights the irreversible damage to its operations, reputation, and the safety of journalists reporting from some of the world’s most dangerous regions.
Without court intervention, RFA is expected to shut down completely by the end of April. The organization has already placed 75% of its U.S.-based employees on mandatory leave and suspended the activities of more than 90% of its freelance journalists.
Since its establishment in 1996, RFA has been broadcasting across Asia. Human rights activists note that its multilingual journalists provide reliable news in authoritarian countries and raise awareness about the plight of persecuted minorities, such as the Uyghur Muslims in China.
RFA reaches an audience of 60 million people weekly.
