On November 29 the RA Court of Appeals rejected the suit of citizens-consumers versus the National Commission on Television and Radio, the RA Ministries of Transportation and Communication, Justice, the founders of "A1+" and "Noyan Tapan" TV companies ("Meltex" LLC and "Noyan Tapan" LLC, respectively). As it has been reported, the Chairman of the Public Council on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms Ashot Bleyan, the member of the Political Council of "Hanrapetutiun" party Artak Zeynalian, the Chairman of the Liberal Democratic party Vigen Khachatrian, representing the plaintiffs, challenged the decision of the court of primary jurisdiction of Center and Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan of September 2, 2002 (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, November 16-22, 2002). Thus, the courts of primary and secondary jurisdiction discarded the demands of the consumers to recognize the decisions of the National Commission of April 2, 2002, to be incompliant with the RA Law “On Television and Radio”, the RA Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; to eliminate the obstacles for the air of "A1+" and "Noyan Tapan"; to annul the acts of the National Commission, according to which these TV companies were not awarded licenses; to oblige "A1+" and "Noyan Tapan" to fulfill their commitment to the consumers and resume their broadcasts.
The plaintiffs announced their intention to challenge this decision at the RA Court of Cassation.
