Disinformation on demand: OCCRP and its anti-Azerbaijan agenda

By Tural Heybatov

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) is a media consortium comprising journalists and outlets dedicated to investigative reporting in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Established in 2007 in Sarajevo by Drew Sullivan and Paul Radu, the organization has become a prominent name in global investigative journalism.

This information can be found on Wikipedia. But what does the abbreviation OCCRP truly represent? The Faktyoxla website conducted its own investigation, uncovering several intriguing details that suggest Western investigative journalism itself warrants closer scrutiny.

According to Faktyoxla.az, OCCRP fully revealed its stance on Azerbaijan in its most recent "investigation," filled with biased and fabricated information. However, there has been no comprehensive examination of OCCRP’s origins, its destructive and coercive activities, or the true motivations behind its operations.

As detailed in the popular book This Machine Kills Secrets—a historical and forward-looking analysis of whistleblowing—Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks was a groundbreaking platform that unveiled vast amounts of information about U.S. political leadership, the military, the industrial complex, the Iraq War, and much more. This marked the beginning of the "mega-leak" era.

After testing the waters with cases such as Edward Snowden's revelations, the United States altered its strategy by creating or repurposing several pressure mechanisms—often through NGOs and "projects"—to maintain control over the narrative. OCCRP emerged as a primary tool, particularly targeting Azerbaijan. Two other organizations, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN), were also established to simulate the presence of independent organizations and diverse information sources. In reality, however, these entities often obscure significant financial transactions, essentially functioning as tools for money laundering.

OCCRP's annual reports from 2020 to 2023 reveal that its primary donors include the U.S. Department of State, USAID, and charitable organizations such as the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and George Soros's Open Society Foundations.

Legally, OCCRP is registered under the name Journalism Development Network (JDN). Faktyoxla describes this informational labyrinth as so convoluted that any attempt to investigate it is likely to hit a dead end. For instance, The Journalism Development Network lacks a dedicated website, and its LinkedIn page is suspiciously sparse. This network, which appears to consist of multiple organizations, in fact operates under a single name and agenda: OCCRP.

These organizations often collaborate with U.S. intelligence agencies, allegedly acquiring information about "corruption scandals" through unlawful means before launching coordinated information attacks. The goal of these operations is to manipulate public opinion by creating an illusion of multiple sources and impartiality.

Meanwhile, they secure substantial funding, conceal their sources, protect insiders and whistleblowers, and shield key organizations from legal repercussions, among other advantages.

This analysis sheds light on the underlying dynamics of OCCRP’s operations, challenging its image as an independent and impartial investigative entity.

American investigative journalist Robert Parry once noted that OCCRP is engaged in “investigative journalism” predominantly aimed at governments that have fallen out of favor with the United States.

Historically, investigative journalism was established in the U.S. to address domestic issues. In his remarks, President Theodore Roosevelt famously referred to journalists as “muckrakers,” drawing inspiration from John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, in which a character, obsessed with using a “muckrake” to clear dirt, ignores the celestial crown offered above. Roosevelt warned journalists against an excessive fixation on negativity.

Given that OCCRP’s sponsors include USAID, NED, the Open Society Foundations, the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations, the U.S. State Department, France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and various governmental agencies from the UK, Sweden, and Denmark, any claim of independence appears hypocritical. As noted by the Azerbaijani website Faktyoxla, OCCRP conspicuously avoids investigating corruption in countries that fund its operations, such as Argentina, Australia, Norway, and Switzerland.

Between 2011 and 2017, these so-called “genuinely independent and free journalists” received a total of $10.8 million from sponsors. Half of this amount—$5.2 million—came directly from the U.S. government and the State Department. Faktyoxla sarcastically remarks, “A true model of independence and freedom!”

For example:

• $2,376,639 was received in 2011,
• $2,581,865 in 2014, and
• $2,961,408 in 2017.

In 2016 alone, these “independent investigators” received $1,695,000 from the U.S. government specifically for “investigating corruption.” Financial audits of the Journalism Development Network (JDN), OCCRP’s legal entity, confirm U.S. government agency funding. Open-source information further demonstrates that the U.S. State Department allocates significant funds to such “independent investigators” in other countries, often openly and with disregard for international legal norms and principles.



As Faktyoxla observes, OCCRP has become a source of fake news and disinformation about Azerbaijan.

A new dimension of hybrid warfare has emerged in the post-“mega-leak” era: legal warfare. This involves disseminating defamatory information without evidence or credible sources, aiming to inflict reputational damage and provoke lengthy legal battles.

Faktyoxla highlights specific cases involving OCCRP:

• Azerbaijani MP Javanshir Feyziyev filed a defamation lawsuit against OCCRP co-founder Paul Radu. OCCRP alleged that Feyziyev was involved in a complex money-laundering scheme.

• OCCRP also fabricated statements attributed to Azerbaijani NGO Chairman Vugar Bayramov. Bayramov stated that he had never contacted OCCRP or any other organization regarding the company mentioned in the article. “They exploit the name of our NGO, and we intend to take action against such instances,” he said, emphasizing that the quotes attributed to him were purely fictional.

Bayramov added, “No one contacted me, nor was my opinion sought. The lack of sources in the article raises serious questions about OCCRP’s investigative abilities and the quality of their reporting.” He also criticized OCCRP for publishing the article on its website without attributing it to a specific author, calling it a serious oversight.

This is neither the first nor the last instance where OCCRP has published fake, biased, and distorted information. Both the Azerbaijani Laundromat and the Pandora Papers contain numerous false, incomplete, and fabricated allegations. Without any evidence, certain media outlets connected to the OCCRP network disseminate misleading information about “corruption in Azerbaijan” and alleged “money laundering schemes,” often accompanied by images of the Azerbaijani president to insinuate his involvement.

Interestingly, the organization’s alleged sources are described as "classified but reliable." However, these sources are frequently questioned by experts, investigative journalists, and fact-checkers. In its latest “investigation,” a prominent member of the anti-Azerbaijani network, openly pro-Armenian Swedish journalist Rasmus Canback, presented entirely baseless accusations, citing none other than an anonymous source within the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Conveniently, the Azerbaijani office of the ICRC declined to comment on the allegations made by this mysterious source.

As noted by Faktyoxla, OCCRP’s primary goals and activities appear to include spreading false information, engaging in political and economic blackmail, and committing crimes such as hacking personal information. All of this is carried out with the expectation of unwavering support from its sponsors.

Taken together, these actions make OCCRP a subordinate, destructive, and subversive organization, concludes the Azerbaijani fact-checking website.

News.Az