On February 18, the Criminal Court of Appeal did not satisfy Pashinyan’s appeal and left the decision of the first instance court of the Aragatsotn region unchanged.

The journalist’s lawyers claim that Pashinyan’s punishment has been intentionally calculated incorrect as a result of which their client will remain in prison until May 2013, i.e. about five months more.

“The authorities in every way prevent Nikol Pashinyan’s political and journalistic activities and are prepared to release him only when the next presidential elections are completed,” commented lawyer Yervand Varosyan.

The verdict still not accepted, Pashinyan stated that it will be against him, because there are no independent courts in Armenia: judges are “henchmen”, the law does not work, and that the authorities are “so frightened” that instead of talking face to face to him they talk “through criminal and oligarch riffraff and through the courts.”

The editor-in-chief of “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily announced also that he would bring the administration of the penitentiary to trial for spreading ‘obscene’ lies about him. The penitentiary had disseminated information on that Pashinyan has cheated that “Artik” penitentiary institution has not accepted his letters. Pashinyan’s lawyer said that they would appeal to the European Court.

Read More »News from Artik: Size of Pashinyan’s Punishment Remained Unchanged

Broadcasting on GALA TV can be stopped merely because the antenna belonging to the TV Company should be dismantled off the television tower within a month by the court decision.

On February 17, such decision was reached by the First Instance Court of the Shirak region, thus putting a full stop to a two-year protracted trial of joint cases of Gyumri Municipality against ‘Chap’ LLC – owner of GALA TV – and ‘Chap’ LLC against the Municipality.

The topic of dispute was the TV tower of Gyumri located in 6/1 Vazgen Sargsyan Str. For a long time it was abandoned, but in 2007 was privatized by the Gyumri Municipality, which required to remove all the GALA-owned equipment from the tower.

After hearing the case for two years, with long-term breaks, Judge Shirak Hakobyan read the verdict satisfying only the claim of the Gyumri Municipality. “To force the TV Company to dismantle the ‘Chap’ LLC owned transmitter antenna and cable placed on the top of the tower located in 6/1 Vazgen Sargsyan Str. within a month,” says the judge verdict.

TV and Radio broadcasts of Leninakan city were broadcasted from the 54 meters high tower until 1977. Then it almost stopped functioning, because a 185-meter high tower was installed. After minor repairs GALA TV has been using the tower since August 2005.

Read More »Gyumri Deadlock: GALA TV Was Deprived Also Of the Right to Use the Tower

Turkey on Thursday criticized the newly appointed U.S. ambassador to Turkey over his comment about media freedom in Turkey following the detention of several journalists, local media reported.

“We believe that it is not right for an ambassador to pass judgment over an ongoing criminal investigation,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was quoted by the semi-official Anatolia news agency as telling reporters during a visit to Nepal.

U.S. ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone questioned Turkey’s media freedom when speaking of a recent police raid on a news website in Turkey at a reception on Tuesday.

“On the one hand there is a stated policy of support for a free press. On the other hand, journalists are put under detention. We are trying to make sense of this,” Ricciardone was quoted of telling reporters.

The ruling Justice and Development Party’s spokesperson Huseyin Celik on Wednesday criticized Ricciardone for interfering in internal affairs of Turkey.

The ambassador said in a statement on Thursday he had not commented on the merits of a particular case, saying as a foreigner there were certain things “he was trying to understand.”

Read More »Turkey Warns U.S. Ambassador over Comment on Media Freedom

The appeal of the chief editor of “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily Nikol Pashinyan, related to calculation of the measure of punishment of the Court of Appeals, was once again failed.

On February 14, hearing during the court session held at “Artik” penitentiary institution was not processed because of the obstacles created by the penitentiary administration.

Instead, withdrawal of Pashinyan’s documents from the isolator became a subject of discussion.

The matter was that during the session Pashinyan presented a petition of bringing from his cell the documents which he had prepared for that very hearing and which the penitentiary administration has been stubbornly prohibiting to take out.

The court granted Pashinyan’s petition. The penitentiary administration led him to the cell but again didn’t allow taking the documents out of the cell.

Instead of half an hour prescribed by the judge the trial participants waited two and a half hour for Pashinyan’s return from the cell who came back empty-handed and stated, “Dear court, I just want to inform you what has happened during this period. We went to my cell, and I tried to take the documents, but the penitentiary representative told that I would be allowed to take only the papers which he was convinced were related to the court case.”

Read More »Measure of Pashinyan’s Punishment was Not Discussed During the Court Session

The U.S. Embassy in Georgia together with IREX is pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 Georgian Media Partnership Program (GMPP): Channel 25, Batumi and Gurjaani TV, Gurjaani.

These TV stations will be partnered with U.S. broadcasters to formstrong, collegial and lasting professional relationships via exchanges, individual consultations and the sharing of best practices.Representatives from Channel 25 and GurjaaniTV will visit their U.S. partner TV stations for intensive hands-on consultations. Professionals from the U.S. TV partner outlets will travel to Georgia to conduct trainings and on-site consultations with Channel 25 and Gurjaani TV. In addition, virtual consultations willfurther assist the needs of the Georgian broadcasters to strengthen them as businesses and as sustainable news organizations.

Source: Media.ge

Read More »Georgian Media Partnership Program 2011 Announces Winners

In the morning of February 8 the Georgian Public Broadcasting (GPB), Gori-based TV company Trialeti and First Stereo resumed broadcasts in Shida Kartli. Imedi TV managed to be back on air yesterday afternoon.

Source: http://www.media.ge/en/node/40192

Read More »National Channels Resume Broadcasts in Shida Kartli

The Guardian’s Moscow correspondent has been expelled from Russia, in what is believed to be the first removal of a British staff journalist from the country since the end of the cold war.

Luke Harding’s forced departure comes after the newspaper’s reporting of the WikiLeaks cables, where he reported on allegations that Russia under the rule of Vladimir Putin had become a “virtual mafia state”.

The journalist flew back to Moscow at the weekend after a two-month stint reporting on the contents of the leaked US diplomatic cables from London, but was refused entry when his passport was checked on his arrival.

After spending 45 minutes in an airport cell, he was sent back to the UK on the first available plane – with his visa annulled and his passport only returned to him after taking his seat. Harding was given no specific reason for the decision, although an airport security official working for the Federal Border Service, an arm of the FSB intelligence agency, told him: “For you Russia is closed.” 

Source: The Guardian

Read More »Guardian’s Moscow Correspondent Expelled From Russia

Cooking shows in Iran were banned from cooking foreign cuisine on Sunday.

The ban comes from conservatives who are trying to keep westernization out of Iranian culture, AFP reported. The deputy head of Iran’s state broadcaster, Ali Darabi said, “From now on teaching how to cook non-Iranian dishes is banned,” according to AFP citing Iranian media. Popular cooking shows on television from now on will only display Iranian food.

Until the ban, daytime cooking shows in Iran presented diverse Iranian and foreign recipes with Italian, Chinese, and Indian food being popular in the country, according to the report.

State-owned television is the only television allowed in the theocratic republic where private broadcasters and satellite television are banned. 

Source: www.theepochtimes.com

Read More »Iran bans TV Cooking Shows Demonstrating Foreign Cuisine

On the morning of February 7 Kartli Region was cut off of the Georgian TV broadcasting. Rustavi 2, Imedi, GPB and local Trialeti TV simultaneously went off the air. Currently only Sakartvelo TV company programming, which is limited to airing movies, is available in the region. All the radio stations, which used to broadcast through Gori TV tower, are off.

Reporting to Media.ge Lado Bichashvili, Trialeti TV producer said that due to the last night’s snowstorm the TV tower wires were broken which caused technical problems to the transmitter consequently resulting into the suspension of TV broadcasting. Technicians’ teams of Georgian TV channels have arrived at the tower to do away with the damage. The time of the resumption of TV broadcasting is yet unknown. 

Source: www.Media.ge

Read More »Georgian TV Channels Go Off Air in Kartli Region

Publisher of “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily -“Dareskizb” Ltd. – must pay 6 million 132 thousand drams ($16,800) in total to 3 deputies of the RA National Assembly. Such decision was reached by the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts on February 7, considering that the information in the article entitled “Seven of Eight On the List” issued in the newspaper on October 14, 2010 is not true.

Deputies and well-known businessmen Ruben Hayrapetyan, Samvel Aleksanyan and Levon Sargsyan had applied to the court with a claim against “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily, demanding to compensate the damage caused to their honour, dignity and business reputation. As compensation they demanded the newspaper to pay 2, 5 million drams ($6,850) each of them, of which 500,000 drams ($1,370) as compensation for legal expenses.

The court partially granted the petitioners’ demand, also noting in the decision that “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily must publish a retraction within a week after the verdict’s coming into force. Now “Dareskizb” Ltd. is obligated to pay each of the deputies 2 million 44 thousand drams ($5,600).

Read More »The Court Decided: “Haykakan Zhamanak” Daily is Obliged to Pay