8 YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE A1+ TV COMPANY CLOSURE
Tert.am
17:47 ~U 02.04.10
The International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), Committee to
Protect Freedom of Expression, Yerevan Press Club, Internews Media
Support NGO, Media Diversity Institute-Armenia, Armenian Helsinki
Committee, Foundation against violation of law, and the Civil Society
Institute express their concern about the restrictions to the freedom
of speech and media in the Republic of Armenia, reads a press release
issued by the organizations today.
The situation has been deteriorating in this area since April 2, 2002,
when A1+, an independent private television company, was deprived of
the right to broadcast. This had an immediate impact on the level of
pluralism in Armenia and almost all of the broadcasting companies
started to work more cautiously. Hidden censorship is applied by
using an economic and tax leverage as well as instruments of political
involvement.
Since April 2002, A1+ TV company has participated in more than 10
tenders on broadcast licensing, and it has been refused a license on
every occasion by the National Television and Radio Committee.
Armenian media and human rights organizations believe that A1+ is
being targeted for political reasons. The authorities, on the other
hand, mention that A1+ has lost the contests of broadcast licensing.
The final clarification was made by the European Court of Human
Rights. The Court ruled that the Article 10 of the European Convention
had been violated; that is, the right of a television company to
impart information and ideas without interference by public authority
and regardless of frontiers in its June 17, 2008 decision.
Nevertheless, the RA National Assembly made an amendment to the "Law
on Television and Radio" according to which tender for broadcast
licensing was suspended for two years.
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on March 4, 2010,
addressed the issue of enforcement of the ECHR decision on A1+ TV,
and underlined that it "is waiting for the detailed information about
the developments of granting effective remedies to the applicant by
the authorized court authorities."
In 2010, the Council of Europe addressed the issue of A1+ TV in its
resolution 1897 on "Respect for Media Freedom" (2010) and called upon
the Armenian authorities "to revise their legislation on the allocation
of broadcasting licenses, which was passed as a countermeasure to the
judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Meltex
Ltd and Mesrop Movsesyan v. Armenia of June 17, 2008."
In spite of the abovementioned circumstances, A1+ TV continues to be
deprived the right to broadcast.
The forementioned groups call upon the Armenian authorities to provide
conditions that will guarantee the freedom of expression in Armenia.
Particularly, to provide impartiality and transparency of future
tenders on broadcast licensing and hereby to ensure well-founded and
justified decisions which will restore public trust.