Government authorities will ban Azerbaijan broadcasters from airing programs of the Voice of America, the BBC and Radio Liberty starting next year, the Associated Press news agency reported quoting a statement by Aziri broadcasting chief Nushirrin Maharramov.

The local broadcasters lack licenses allowing them to air programs of the foreign radio stations, said Nushirrin Maharramov, the head of National Broadcasting Council.

But opposition media denounced the move as part of a government campaign against the freedom of speech.

Pressure on independent media and attacks on opposition journalists are frequent in this oil-rich Caspian Sea state, which has been ruled with a tight grip by President Ilham Aliev since 2003, when he succeeded his long-ruling father in flawed elections.

Maharramov said that the ban would take effect Jan. 1. However, he said the British Broadcasting Corp. and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, based in Prague, Czech Republic, would be able to continue using frequencies allotted to them by Azerbaijani authorities. He said officials are willing to discuss providing a frequency to Washington-based Voice of America.

“We are ready to provide additional frequencies to foreign radio stations if necessary,” he said.

Editors of leading opposition newspapers and media freedom advocates issued a statement voicing concern, and promised to launch a campaign against what they said was increasing official pressure on freedom of speech.

Ali Kerimli, head of a leading opposition movement, said the decision reflected government attempts to “restore the Soviet-style authoritarianism.”

Kerimli, who accused the government of trying to weaken the opposition and independent media ahead of the 2008 presidential election, said opponents were planning hunger strikes and pickets to protest the move in the oil-rich former Soviet republic.

BBC World Service said in a statement it was “watching the situation carefully” and wanted “to continue to offer our listeners in Azerbaijan independent and impartial news and information.”

The move comes months after the Russian government curtailed the number of stations broadcasting Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America news programs, a move that drew criticism about the state of democracy under President Vladimir Putin. But Russian officials said the matter is simply one of stations’ conforming with their broadcast licenses.

Both Radio Free Europe and Voice of America are funded by the U.S. government, but with an independent editorial board.

During the Soviet era, Radio Liberty was one of the few sources of uncensored information in the region.

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