GALA PROTECTION HEADQUARTERS INVITES TO RALLY IN GYUMRI ON DECEMBER 19
Noyan Tapan
Dec 18 2007
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The Headquarters on protection of
speech freedom and " Gala" television company invites all the people,
who consider themselves free, to take part in the rally to be organized
by the Headquarters on December 19 at 16:00, in defence to the freedom
of Gala and the speech of all of us. The rally will take place at
the Theatrical Square in Gyumri. The Headquarters reminds that those,
who closed "Gala", yesterday deprived "A1+" and "Noyan Tapan" of air":
"We will not allow to close "Gala", they will not succeed in it. We
do not exist without our free speech," is said in the statement of
the Headquarters.
The Headquarters on Protection of the TV Company reminds that it is
already two months, "Gala" has been submitted to unprecedented pressure
by different departments and offices. However, the TV Company has made
a statement that it will not be subject to that pressure and dictation,
will not change its information policy, will freely provide people of
all the public political views and ideas with air, as well as will
objectively and comprehensively cover "all the developments taking
place in our life."
The Headquarters on Protection of speech freedom reminds that the State
Tax Inspectorate has "drawn" penalty of 26 665 100 drams against the
TV Company and has submitted an application to court with a suspicion
on having maliciously concealed taxes. The court has put a seizure
on the property and financial means of the ChAP CJSC, the founder of
the "Gala" TV Company. The municipality in its turn has submitted
an application to court with a claim to free the TV tower from the
aerial of "Gala". And it is already 40 days, the police has not
oriented as yet, breaking all the terms, whether to file a criminal
case on the fact of attack on the operator of "Gala" by the operative
plenipotentiary of the State Tax Service or not. It is already 45
days pressure has been exerted upon the advertisement givers of the
"Gala" TV Company, prohibiting them to put an advertisement on air.
According to the statement, the goal of all this is to deprive the
TV Company of air, to make 50 people unemployed and teach a lesson
to others by punishing the disobedient TV Company.