On May 29 the answer of the National Commission on Television and Radio to the claim of the Chairman of the Public Council on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms Ashot Bleyan was received. Mr. Bleyan had appealed to the court of primary jurisdiction of Center and Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan demanding to recognize the decisions passed by National Commission on April 2, 2002, to be incongruent with a number of Armenia and international legal documents. The refusal of the National Commission to grant broadcast licenses to “A1+” and “Noyan Tapan” TV companies were qualified by Ashot Bleyan as a violation of the inseparable right of the plaintiff to the freedom of speech, belief and information (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, May 11-24, 2002).
It is noted in the response of the National Commission that it had never passed decisions of refusing broadcast licenses to “A1+” and “Noyan Tapan” and, therefore, the demand by the applicant is ungrounded.
The hearings on the case will soon be appointed.
