STATE HAS PRIVATIZED RIGHT OF GIVING LICENCES TO TV CHANNELS, OSCE REPRESENTATIVE SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Jun 21 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 21, NOYAN TAPAN. In July, OSCE plans to finish working at
the report on the state of media in Armenia, which will be submitted
to OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna. OSCE Representative on Freedom
of Media Miklos Haraszti informed about it at the June 21 press
conference.

Presenting his preliminary estimations connected with the situation
in the sphere of freedom of speech in Armenia, M.Haraszti emphasized
that real pluralism exists only in printed media, while in this
respect electronic media are inferior to printed media. However,
according to him, some newspapers are, in essence, "weak" due to lack
of funds and they cannot exert a proper influence on the formation
of the public opinion.

M.Haraszti drew attention to the circumstance that the majority of
members of the National Commission of Radio and Television is appointed
by the President and declared that one of the recommendations of OSCE
is to change this provision in RA law "On Radio and Television." As
he estimated, there is an interdependence between the staff of this
commission and the situation in electronic media, which lack pluralism.

He pointed to the necessity to work out such a system of licensing
in giving frequences to electronic media that would exclude the
possibility of appropriating this right by someone. "The state has
privatized the right of giving licences to TV channels," M.Haraszti
declared.

According to him, OSCE is going to recommend Armenia to perfect the
order of licensing of TV and radio frequences by new amendments to
the law. In particular, the process of licensing should be more
transparent. Besides, certain limitations should be introduced
here. In particular, according to M.Haraszti, there are persons in
Armenia who own more than one channel.

As for persecutions and physical violence towards journalists,
M.Haraszti mentioned that no cases of mass violations and persecutions
have been registered in Armenia since 2004. According to him,
"persecutions towards journalists do not have an organized character
in Armenia."