“On January 12, 2025, the public radio channel Deutschlandfunk of the Federal Republic of Germany, broadcast a defamatory podcast targeting the Azerbaijani people and state. The main storyline of the material was based on an interview with the notorious Azerbaijanophobe Tessa Hofman. The program alleged that illegal actions were committed against Armenians in Azerbaijan in 1990 and presented the history of the past conflict in line with the radical Armenian nationalist narrative,” the Western Azerbaijan Community said in a statement.

“The broadcast completely ignored the fact that during the conflict, Armenia subjected over one million Azerbaijanis to ethnic cleansing, occupied Azerbaijani territories, destroyed them, and systematically obliterated Azerbaijani cultural heritage. Similarly, there was no mention of the dimension of the ethnic cleansing of 300,000 Azerbaijanis from Armenia between 1987 and 1991, nor the murder of 216 Azerbaijanis in Armenia during the forcible expulsion.

Instead of broadcasting racial discrimination and broadcasting hate-filled programs that exacerbate tensions in the region, the channel should condemn Armenia’s racist policies, including the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis carried out as state policy - a fact confirmed by his recently surfaced statement delivered by Levon Ter-Petrosyan in 1993 in his capacity as president of Armenia.

As the Western Azerbaijani Community, we condemn the racial discrimination and hate speech perpetuated by Deutschlandfunk and call on the radio station’s management to take appropriate measures regarding this unacceptable act,” the Community added.