ARMENIA: EUROPEAN COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF EMBATTLED TELEVISION STATION

CPJ Press Freedom Online, NY
n08na.html
Committee to Protect Journalists
June 19 2008

New York, June 19, 2008–The European Court of Human Rights ruled
Tuesday that Armenia’s repeated denials of a broadcasting license
to the independent A1+ television station violated Article 10 of
the European Convention on Human Rights. According to the verdict,
the Armenian government must pay the station 20,000 euros (US$31,000)
in damages.

Famous for its criticism of Armenian authorities, A1+ was forced
off the air in 2002 when the National Committee on Television and
Radio–a regulatory body whose members are directly appointed by the
president–awarded the station’s frequency to another company. Since
then, the agency has repeatedly rejected A1+ applications for a
broadcasting license–moves widely viewed as retaliation for the
station’s journalism. When local courts dismissed A1+ appeals as
unfounded, station owner Mesrop Movsesyan filed an appeal with the
Strasbourg-based court in 2004.

"We urge Armenian authorities to view this ruling as a signal to
grant a license to the station," said Nina Ognianova, CPJ’s Europe
and Central Asia program coordinator. "By granting a license to A1+,
newly elected President Serzh Sarkisian will demonstrate his commitment
to press freedom in the country."

In its verdict, the court found that government regulators refused to
provide reasons for the denials despite numerous requests from A1+
management. According to the verdict, the court considered "that a
licensing procedure whereby the licensing authority gives no reasons
for its decisions does not provide adequate protection against
arbitrary interferences by a public authority with the fundamental
right to freedom of expression."

The court found that the repeated and unexplained denials violated
the right to impart information and ideas as outlined in the European
Convention on Human Rights.