Media

The South Caucasus and Central Asia have long been seen as a region marked by variation in media environments, but recent trend lines are in a more controlled direction. Governments in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have maintained tightly controlled media landscapes dominated by pro-government outlets since 1991. Meanwhile, media in Armenia, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan operated with much greater degrees of freedom. However, recent years have seen Kyrgyzstan and Georgia both move toward more authoritarian models, passing “foreign agents” laws, constraining funding for non-governmental organizations, and cracking down on prominent independent media. Armenia remains a middle case, where independent media outlets largely operate freely.  

According to the 2025 Press Freedom Index, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are regarded as “Very Serious” cases of intrusion on freedom of the press. Out of the 180 countries evaluated, Azerbaijan is ranked at 167, Kazakhstan at 147, Kyrgyzstan at 144, Turkmenistan at 174, Tajikistan at 153, and Uzbekistan at 148. Georgia is categorized as “Difficult,” ranking at 114 out of 180. Armenia scores the highest, with a “Satisfactory” press environment, ranked at 34. 

Given the political situation in each country, keeping the institutional biases and purposes of specific outlets in mind is critical when engaging with the media landscape for these countries.