TV company staging rally in Armenia to protest at closure

Regnum, Moscow
2 Apr 05

A rally organized by the staff of the A1+ TV company, which was closed
down three years ago, and a number of public organizations started in
the centre of Yerevan at 1200 [0700 gmt].

The protesters are demanding that a new competition be conducted
fairly, our Regnum new agency correspondent reports.

The organizers of the rally stated that various open-ended events and
actions will be staged in Yerevan till 12 April. At present, hundreds
of people are moving towards the capital’s central avenue and heading
for the conservatoire. The protesters are holding posters like
“Freedom”, ”Watch us”, ”Freedom of speech is the achievement of
the people”, etc.

We should remind you that the A1+ TV company has been off the air for
three years. The company was deprived of its frequency as a result of
a competition on 2 April 2002.

The TV company has lost eight competitions over the last three
years. The organizers said that the state TV and radio committee has
not held competitions for more than a year, explaining this by the
fact that there are no vacant frequencies.
From: Baghdasarian