“THERE IS A VIOLATION AND IT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED”

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Two days ago the National Assembly passed the disputable amendments to the Law on “Television and Radio” under which no tender for TV and Radio frequencies will be announced in Armenia by 2010. Meantime, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe will raise the issue of embattled A1+ in its upcoming sitting on September 17.

The decision is based on the recent verdict of the European Court of Human Rights according to which Armenia’s Government has committed a rough violation of the Human Rights Convention /freedom of expression, Article 10/ by closing down A1+.

On July 17, 2008, the EC found that the National Television and Radio Commission doesn’t ground for its decision when granting or denying frequency licences to companies. Therefore, the denial of A1+’s licences is groundless and arbitrary.

“The problem is not in A1+. The Court has found a violation which is already serious,” says Rajesh Rai, Board Director of London’s Kurdish Human Rights Project (KHRP). The KHRP represents A1+’s interests in the European Court. The EC decision doesn’t imply that one party has lost and the other has won. It simply registers a violation which needs to be addressed.

“This is a serious problem and the Committee of Ministers should refer to it. The Committee should invite the country to write or to explain what measures have been taken to address the violation,” he adds.

Under a EC decision the RoA Government was to pay €20000 to Meltex Ltd and another €10000 to the English advocates.

So far none of them has received the money.