Armenian paper says draft laws aimed at banning Radio Liberty broadcasts

Armenian newspaper 168 Zham, Yerevan
30 Jun 07

Excerpt from report by Armine Avetyan in Armenian newspaper 168 Zham
published on 30 June and headlined "Slaves against freedom" and
subheaded "The first step against ‘Liberty’ has been made":

Yesterday [28 June] the National Assembly [parliament] passed in the
first reading the draft laws that will help terminate the broadcasting
of the Radio Liberty [Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, RFE/RL] on the
territory of Armenia. The drafts were adopted by 79 votes in favour, 16
against and one abstention.

The draft laws will be voted in the second reading over 24 hours, and
there is no doubt that MPs who come to the parliament just to push
buttons will pass them today because people who do not care for
freedom, do not need free speech either, neither do they care for the
[Radio] Liberty. All button-pushers want is for the government – that
thinks for them – to last as long as possible.

"I wish to explain why I am sure that those are politically-motivated
bills and are ordered at 26 Baghramyan Street – the presidential
office. What was the need to debate those bills in an extraordinary
session [of the parliament]?" Yerevan Press Club expert Mesrop
Harutyunyan asked at yesterday’s news conference.

Amendments to two laws are debated at the National Assembly’s
extraordinary session: the law on TV and radio and the law on state
fees. Authors of the amendments suggest that the Armenian Public Radio
and TV should not have a right to allow any media outlet to broadcast
on its frequencies. Currently, the Public [TV and Radio] decides on its
own whether it should allow others to air on its frequencies. After the
law is passed, the Public [TV and Radio] will not have the right to
allow other broadcasters use its frequencies.

Under the amendments to the law on state fees, TV and radio companies
will have to pay 70,000 drams [about 200 dollars] for each programme of
other broadcasters aired on their frequencies. And since programmes of
only one "other broadcaster" – the Radio Liberty – are aired on the
Public [TV and Radio], there is nothing else left than to admit that
the goal of those draft laws is to terminate the broadcasting of the
Radio Liberty on the territory of Armenia.

"Usually, extraordinary sessions [of parliament] are called to debate
laws that are urgent and crucial for the society," Mesrop Harutyunyan
says. "Now, I am asking [President] Robert Kocharyan and [Prime
Minister] Serzh Sargsyan, who have drafted these amendments. I am not
asking [Justice Minister] Gevorg Danielyan because he is just a doer.
What crucial and urgent needs of the society do these draft laws meet
so that they had to be debated in an extraordinary session?"

[Passage omitted: if included on the agenda of regular sessions, the
draft laws would be discussed in parliamentary committees and by public
before being adopted]

No TV company was present at the yesterday’s news conference condemning
this draft laws. Neither a radio company was present. This fact led to
conclude that TV and radio companies were instructed from 26 Baghramyan
Street not to cover the news conference. This means that electronic
media is censored by the residents of this address.

"The authorities intend to fist of all impede the broadcasting of the
Radio Liberty," Ashot Melikyan, chairman of the committee for
protection of free speech, said yesterday. "I can compare this with the
shutdown of the A1 Plus [TV company]. High-ranking officials, however,
had promised during our meetings that any draft law on information
sector would be widely discussed before debated in parliament. [Former
Justice Minister] Davit Harutyunyan, in particular, gave such a
promise. These promises too are not kept. Also, OSCE representative on
freedom of the media Miklos Haraszti’s calls not to adopt these
amendments are ignored too."

The government explains that the amendments are needed to ensure
equality in economic competition in the broadcasting sector.

[Passage omitted: other views on the issue]

Our authorities have never worried about the channels that rebroadcast
[foreign] programmes because they have never caused problems for them;
they air programmes about Armenia very rarely. The Radio Liberty, in
contrast, airs programmes that deal with the Armenian domestic and
political life, and this poised danger to the authorities.

[Passage omitted: the president will undoubtedly sign the drafts into
law]

So, Armenia will become the next country following Uzbekistan,
Turkmenistan, Belarus and Azerbaijan to ban the broadcasting of the
Radio Liberty.