HEADQUARTERS FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND GALA TV WAS SET UP

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 12 2007

Gala TV of Gyumri has been undergoing pressure for two months now,
and the City Hall of Gyumri wages a judicial war against Gala TV,
suing the TV company for removing the transmission equipment from the
transmission tower, and would not agree to hire the tower to the TV
company. The Tax Service of Gyumri has also gone to court claiming a
put-up fine of 25 million drams, and the police of Gyumri would not
make up its mind for 36 days whether to bring charges against the
officer of the department of investigations of the state tax service
Hovanes Hovanisyan who had attacked the reporter of Gala TV or not.

Considering these, about 50 free citizens of Gyumri founded the
Headquarters for Freedom of Speech and Gala TV on December 12 at 12
o’clock, the release of the Headquarters runs.

During 2.5 hours of discussion a brief program of protection of Gala
TV was drown up. The program includes the following activities.

Firstly, the headquarters will be present at the hearing of the case
of Gala TV on December 13 and demand that Justice Nahapetyan withdraw
and not participate in this farce and urge the media of Armenia to
cover this and other developments more intensively.

Secondly, they are going to urge the mayor of Gyumri Vardan Ghukasyan
to reject the options of solving this problem through court and let
the transmission tower to the TV company at reasonable conditions and
thereby not participate in the farce against Gala TV. Thirdly, the
headquarters will hold a rally at the Theatrical Square of Gyumri on
December 19 at 4 pm for the protection of freedom of speech and Gala
TV and finally urge the government of Armenia to restrain the judicial
activities of Vardan Ghukasyan and urge him to let the transmission
tower to Gala TV and make efforts for an objective trial, the release
of the Headquarters runs.