OPPOSITION SLAMS END OF PARLIAMENT SESSION BROADCASTS
By Shakeh Avoyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Feb 19 2007

The Armenian opposition condemned on Monday a Constitutional Court
ruling that will allow state television to end the hitherto mandatory
broadcasts of some parliament sessions that usually feature strong
verbal attacks on the government.

Under a law regulating the work of the National Assembly, the Armenian
Public Television has to broadcast, in prime time, special sittings
during which parliament deputies put questions to government ministers
and make 3-minute statements on any issue. The assembly can also order
the state-owned channel to broadcast its other sessions as well. In
addition, the Armenian Public Radio has to broadcast all parliament
sessions in full.

The legal provision, in place since 1995, has enabled opposition
parties to spread their views through the two government-controlled
broadcaster whose news coverage has traditionally favored the
government. The management of the Armenian Public Television and Radio
(HHRH) has been pushing for its abolition since last year, saying
that it contradicts articles of Armenia’s constitution guaranteeing
press freedom. The Constitutional Court accepted these arguments on
Friday after an appeal filed by President Robert Kocharian.

Opposition leaders described the ruling as the latest in a
series of government measures which they say are aimed at further
restricting opposition access to the airwaves in the run-up to the
May 12 parliamentary elections. They told RFE/RL that the mandatory
broadcasts are necessary given the fact that state television and
all major private networks are loyal to the Kocharian administration.

"I disagree with the [Constitutional Court’s] decision," said
Vazgen Manukian, the veteran leader of the opposition National
Democratic Union (AZhM) party. "I believe the decision itself is
unconstitutional."

"Our first channel has never been known for covering the most important
things. It is therefore necessary to obligate it show things which
the National Assembly considers important," he added.

The pro-Kocharian TV channels sparked a controversy last week
by setting unusually high prices of election-related political
advertising which will be affordable mainly for pro-government parties
and individual candidates. The mostly cash-strapped oppositionists
hoped to partly offset that by heavily using televised broadcasts
of the relevant sessions of the outgoing parliament in the coming
weeks. The court verdict enables the HHRH to stop those broadcasts.

"This ruling as well as the surge in the cost of campaign ads are
clearly aimed at further limiting the opposition’s campaigning
possibilities in the run-up to the parliamentary and presidential
elections," said Stepan Demirchian of the opposition People’s Party
of Armenia. "It shows that the authorities are scared of full-scale
opposition campaigning."

"Of course that was done deliberately in connection with the 2007
and 2008 elections," agreed Manukian.

But Galust Sahakian, a leader of the governing Republican Party of
Armenia, rejected the claims. "If we accept that the media is free,
then the media themselves must decide what to broadcast," he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress