SHORTAGE OF A1+ AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH
Lragir.am
04 April 06
On April 2, 2002, when A1+ TV Company was closed down, 19 mass
media stated that freedom of speech is not endangered in Armenia,
thus revealing that freedom of speech is endangered in Armenia,
stated the director of A1+ TV Company Mesrop Movsisyan.
According to the director of A1+, today there is a demand of political
and information programs, but the heads of channels are guided by the
principle “better to earn money than inflict troubles on ourselves,”
and prefer to spend money on soap operas. The viewers go out to
protest, “but it is all ignored.” That is why the Armenian viewers
prefer Russian channels, and watch the local news after the Russian
news programs only. Mesrop Movsisyan thinks A1+ has become a symbol
of freedom of speech, and unfortunately, when closing down A1+,
the government could not imagine that it would turn into an issue of
freedom of speech. “When they were able to imagine, they started a
wrong struggle.”
Mesrop Movsisyan thinks that the problem of A1+ could be solved
by interference from the outside, for instance, on a ruling of the
European Court. However, since A1+ was closed down, there have been
several dozens of stipulations from outside, but A1+ still is not on
air. “Because these stipulations were formal. These were formulated
so as to do nothing,” thinks Mesrop Movsisyan.
For his part, Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan stated on the same day that
he misses A1+ and would like to see it again on air.