Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

threat in the Balkans. More than 4.7 million adults watched or listened weekly to VOA programs
in Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia, Serbia, and Macedonia.
VOA Bosnian featured reports on the sentencing of Bosnian-born U.S. citizen Adis Medunjanin
in the 2009 al-Qa’ida plot to bomb the New York subway system, and the trial of Mevlid
Jasarevic, jailed for the 2011 terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo; interviewed
Mustafa Ceric, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia; and presented commentary and analysis from U.S.
terrorism experts.
VOA Albanian covered the sentencing of Albanian citizen and Brooklyn resident Agron
Hasbajrami for attempting to provide material support to terrorists.
Azerbaijan. VOA Azerbaijani daily TV and Web programming focused on the country’s
political dynamics as the authorities increased their pressure on political activists and civilsociety
groups. It regularly programmed reports and interviews targeting the large Azeri
population in northern Iran. When it was banned from FM airwaves, RFE/RL’s Azerbaijan
Service (Radio Azadliq) lost more than half of its reach in Baku. It has turned to the internet and
to satellite television to reconnect with listeners.
AFRICA
In the first half of 2012, Azadliq’s website garnered more than 2.5 million visits, 80
percent of which came from within Azerbaijan.
In May, the Service launched a new weekly 15-minute program that appeared within a
partner’s program on TurkSat as well as on HotBird.
The Service began providing live video coverage using the Livestream platform
Bambuser, which allowed journalists to cover events even when an internet connection
was unavailable. The Service also published a weekly newspaper distributed at Baku
subway stations.
The Service launched a six-month project in January 2012 to enhance its Corruption
Meter initiative with a series of weekly debates broadcast live on social media, radio,
and the internet.
Nigeria. VOA’s Hausa Service has provided extensive coverage of Boko Haram’s terrorist
activities in Northern Nigeria, including reporting and discussion on attacks and bombings of
military check points, schools, police stations, banks, and markets. VOA itself was threatened by
Boko Haram as a result of its coverage.
Somalia. VOA’s Somali Service produced a weekly Islamic affairs program that covered
political, economic, and social changes in Muslim majority countries. Issues covered included
the joint military offensive by the Somali government and AU against al-Shabaab; Syria;
elections in Egypt, and the September 11 attack on Benghazi.
Swahili. VOA’s Swahili Service broadcast to large Muslim populations in Tanzania and Kenya,
and to Muslim communities in Uganda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
French to Africa. VOA’s French to Africa Service provided extensive coverage of the
fundamentalist-driven conflict in Mali and its effect on the sub-region. Additionally, weekly
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