Reporters Without Borders
Armenia: European court says Armenia violated free expression by blocking independent TV station
In a ruling on 17 June, the European Court of Human Rights ordered the Armenian government to pay 20,000 euros in damages to the broadcasting company Meltex and its president, Mesrop Movsesyan, for violating freedom of expression by refusing eight times to grant a licence to the Meltex-owned TV station A1+.
Armenia’s first independent TV station, A1+ was founded by Movsesyan in 1991. After it distinguished itself in the 1995 presidential election by refusing to broadcast only government propaganda, its licence was suspended.
Movsesyan subsequently managed to relaunch the station as part of his new Meltex group, but it ran into problems against in 2002, when the frequency it was using was reassigned for no good reason to another station. Since then, A1+ has submitted seven applications for a licence that were all rejected by the National Commission for Radio and Television (CNRT) without any reason being given.
“This ruling by the European Court of Human Rights highlights the need for a rapid overhaul of the National Commission for Radio and Television’s statutes and the discretionary powers it currently
enjoys,” Reporters Without Borders said.
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