An Interview with Mesrop Movsesyan
A1 Plus / Meltex Ltd.

Mesrop Movsesyan is the Director of the independent television station, A1 Plus, which was deprived of its license to broadcast on 2 April 2002. A1 Plus has existed as a news agency in Armenia since 1991 but started television broadcasting in 1996. It reaches an estimated audience of 900,000 in Yerevan and the surrounding area and via the hamaspyur regional network, 2 million throughout Armenia.

Known for its objective but hard-hitting coverage of the political and social situation in Armenia, A1+ is considered one of the most independent news services in the country. Loss of its right to broadcast in a tender for the frequency has fuelled speculation that its closure is an attempt by President Robert Kocharian to control media coverage in the run-up to the 2003 Presidential Elections.

A1 Plus stopped broadcasting on the evening of 2 April 2002. In what was a dramatic end to six years of broadcasting, the A1 Plus logo, beating like a heart, stopped. A monotone signal from a life-support machine symbolized the death of the independent media in Armenia. The French media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, called the closure of A1 Plus, the "most serious violation of pluralism in Armenia in the past few years."

A statement issued by the Embassy of the United States in Armenia simply remarked that "the decision on April 2 to award TV frequency 37, to date held by "A1+" television, to the "Sharm" group raises serious questions about the future of free and independent media in Armenia."

This interview was conducted on 3 April 2002 at the offices of A1 Plus in Yerevan for the Armenian News Network-Groong. For more information on the closure of A1 Plus please access their web site at http://www.a1plus.am.

Onnik Krikorian: Thank you for taking the time to hold this interview during what must be a very hectic schedule. Yesterday, A1 Plus was taken off the air. How do you feel now that the National Commission on TV and Radio has voted to terminate A1 Plus's broadcasts?

Mesrop Movsesyan: We are frustrated of course, because the decision is illegal. It was the President's wish to stop us from broadcasting because we provide impartial and unbiased information.

OK: However, regarding the Law on TV and Radio, it could be argued that the decision to terminate A1 Plus's broadcast was legitimate.

MM: No, it was not, and we have taken legal action against the commission. The decision to close A1 Plus was taken in November during a private meeting between the Armenian President, Robert Kocharian, the Defense Minister, Serzh Sarkisyan, and the National Security Council. Although we have no evidence, only oral testimony, we believe that the idea to close the station came from that meeting.

OK: A1 Plus was considered the only real source of news in Armenia. It deals with real issues and real people. Many now consider that its closure will be felt by most people in Armenia.

MM: We were the only television station that provided impartial and unbiased information and news, and that is why we have been prevented from broadcasting. It was also a very popular station and people are already visiting and ringing our offices to express their sympathy and support. They regard this decision as an official policy to prevent us from broadcasting. As a result, various opposition groups have scheduled a rally to be held in Yerevan on Friday.

OK: The reasons why the Commission awarded the frequency to Sharm were presumably based on their financial package and plans to create their own entertainment shows?

MM: No. The decision was not weighted according to those criteria. It was neither the financial package nor plans to create entertainment programs. The decision is political. Officially, they argued that our package was bad, and insufficient funding may have been another reason, but it is only a cover for the real reason which is political.

OK: Regarding the tender, Sharm put forward a package valued at $1.8 million, and Dofin at $3.2 million.

MM: Over a period of many years, our channel has already invested as much money as Sharm have pledged. We are already established and Sharm will have to spend some of that money simply in order to establish their technical facilities. Effectively, they will have to start from scratch. What is more important for the commission is that they believe Sharm to be supportive of the Armenian government.

OK: It could be argued that the biggest problem facing the media in Armenia is financial. Many newspapers rely on wealthy sponsors such as government officials or businessmen to operate. This frustrates the development of the independent media and the problem is even more acute for the broadcast media.

Some very sensitive questions remain unanswered regarding ownership of the media in Armenia. Many media outlets that have the resources to produce their own entertainment programs appear to be owned or financially supported by the political and economic elite.

MM: Every effort is made to perpetuate this situation among the mass media in order to ensure that news coverage is favorable to the Government. The authorities and various officials do their best to support such kinds of media. Our channel is merely out of favor.

OK: The Law on TV and Radio looks very good on paper, with specific requirements for broadcasting locally produced programs in the Armenian language, restrictions on showing pornography until certain hours of the evening etc. However, when I spoke to various journalists and analysts at the time the law was introduced they instead said that they considered the law as very bad. In order to comply with the law, many media outlets would have little choice but to become financially dependent on sponsors who could influence content.

MM: I agree that the mass media depends on funding and this serves as a good tool for the government to restrict and control the media in Armenia. The key issue is not the practical ability of the media but its financial means.

OK: The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) recently raised these concerns, citing the economic dependence of the media in Armenia, self-censorship among journalists unwilling to go against the interests of their sponsors, and weak legal safeguards in place to protect press freedom. Should organizations such as the CPJ and indeed, the Council of Europe be concerned with the closure of A1 Plus?

MM: International Organizations such as the Council of Europe must do everything to protect us and the independent media in general. There is no document that justifies the closure of our channel and we now suspect that pressure has been applied on AATV, an American-Armenian joint venture, to prevent us from broadcasting through their cable network.

Even if we lost our frequency range to Sharm, we still have a contract with AATV to broadcast through them. However, AATV violated our contract by terminating our broadcast shortly after midnight. Maybe they have also been put under political pressure but even so, we have not only started legal proceedings against the National Commission on TV and Radio but we have also decided to extend legal action to include AATV.

OK: However, there are significant concerns regarding the independence of the legal system in Armenia.

MM: The legal system really doesn't function in our country and the judiciary is also in the hands of the authorities. We don't have any expectations from our legal system because we know it is under the control of our top officials.

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