European Court Accuses Armenian Govt Of Curbing Freedom

EUROPEAN COURT ACCUSES ARMENIAN GOVT OF CURBING FREEDOM

Interfax News Agency
June 17 2008
Russia

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the Armenian
government has breached the freedom of expression article of the
European Convention on Human Rights by taking independent Armenian
television company A1+ off the air in 2002, a human rights activist
said.

"The Armenian government must compensate the television company for
the damages inflicted on it," Armenian media quoted Tigran Ter-Yesayan,
head of the Forum legal center for human rights, as saying.

A1+ was taken off the air on April 2, 2002, ahead of a presidential
election. Since then it has made about ten unsuccessful bids in
tenders for a broadcasting license. There have been repeated rallies
in support of the company in Yerevan.

U.S.-based international nongovernmental human rights organization
Freedom House lists Armenia as a country lacking media freedom.