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AZERBAIJAN: PROBING CHANNEL PULLED OFF THE AIR
A1+
[03:49 pm] 09 December, 2006
Dramatic shutdown of popular TV station seen as blow to freedom of
speech. Azerbaijan's most popular and longest-running independent
television channel, ANS, was unexpectedly closed on November 24,
the culmination of a bitter dispute with the government.
The decision was taken that morning by the national television and
radio broadcasting council. Council chairman Nushiravan Magerramli,
said the channel's license was not being extended and called on it
to stop broadcasting within three hours.
The ANS management was not given written notification of the
council's decision, but at precisely three o'clock, operatives
from the communications ministry, accompanied by policemen, broke
into the company's headquarters and switched off and sealed all its
transmitters.
The council said that ANS had repeatedly received warnings for breaking
broadcasting regulations. For the past few years, the company had
been broadcasting without a license, because of an ongoing dispute
with the government. ANS said it had repeatedly applied for a new
license but had been refused.
Mekhti Mamedov, assistant to the chairman of the council, told IWPR,
"Since the council was created in the spring of 2005, ANS was given
nine warnings, and on two occasions it was fined. That is why the
decision to revoke its license is absolutely justified." Mamedov said
ANS had failed to observe advertising regulations and opened a branch
in the town of Sheki without permission.
ANS general director Fuad Jabbarly told IWPR that the channel had
received only five written warnings from the council and reacted in
a proper way to all of them. "I have no idea where the figure nine
comes from," he said. "It's true that we were fined twice and paid
the penalties on time. Until recently, the council never approached
us with any complaints."
ANS started broadcasting in November 1991 and is, according its
president Vahid Mustafaiev, the first private and independent
television channel in the former Soviet Union. It won a reputation
for its frontline reporting from the Nagorny Karabakh conflict - and
has maintained an aggressive stance on the Karabakh issue to this day.
The channel also won popularity for its news reporting, which was more
independent than the official television channels, and for programmes
such as "Internal News", where ordinary citizens were allowed to ask
questions of government officials.
A grand concert had been scheduled for November 26 to mark the
channel's fifteenth birthday, however the administration of the
Heidar Aliev Concert Palace, where the event was due to be held,
cancelled the party, citing the need to make essential repairs.
Rashid Gajily, an expert on media and director of the Institute of Law,
said the council had exceeded its authority by issuing the decision
to close down ANS.
"The council does indeed have the authority to issue and extend
licenses or not to extend them," he said.
"But it is up to a court to decide on the closure of a media
outlet. There were no legal proceedings in the ANS case."
The ANS management says it intends to challenge the decision in court,
while the broadcasting council announced a tender for the station's
frequency with a deadline of January 7.
President Ilham Aliev hinted there was room for compromise, saying,
"There are state organs and they have well-justified demands that
need to be fulfilled.
I think that the dispute with ANS can be resolved in a businesslike
manner and with good will. If all demands are met its activity can
be restored."
But presidential aide Ali Hasanov, apparently with the approval of
his boss, warned, "Even the president himself does not have the right
to interfere in the process of issuing licenses. Responsibility for
this lies with the broadcasting council."
The dramatic shutdown of the popular television channel has triggered
feverish speculation in Azerbaijan.
One interpretation is that the government was planning to make major
concessions to the Armenians in the ongoing peace talks over the
Karabakh issue and therefore wanted to take off the air a station
which strongly opposed compromise in the dispute.
"It's true, the most convincing explanation for the closure of ANS is a
forthcoming surrender of Karabakh," said journalist Ilgar Mamedov. "As
long as ANS was on the air, it would be hard to impose on the people
a peace plan that meant defeat."
Einulla Fatullayev, a former ANS employee who is now a strong critic
and the editor-in-chief of the Realny Azerbaijan newspaper, sees
domestic politics as being at the root of the issue.
"ANS was closely tied to former economic development Farhad Aliev, who
is now accused of plotting a coup d'etat," said Fatullayev. He said
the president could not forgive the station's perceived "treachery"
towards the government.
Most observers are inclined to see the shutdown within the context of
a general move against the independent media in Azerbaijan. Political
scientist Rasim Agayev, who was formerly a government official said,
"ANS was the only media outlet which defended me at a difficult time
when Heidar Aliev was in power and when I was arrested. I consider its
closure a blow against freedom of speech and the image of Azerbaijan
and I am ready to do everything I can to defend it."
US ambassador Ann Derse told the Turan news agency that Azerbaijan
should remember its obligations on freedom of speech under
international treaties and called on the government to reconsider
the issue.
In the meantime, ANS's entire staff is currently on unpaid leave
and waiting to see what happens next to their channel. And millions
of viewers are deeply unhappy. "ANS stood out from the other TV
channels for being much more professional," said 37-year-old Tarlan
Babayev. "With ANS closed it feels as though the airwaves of Azerbaijan
have been orphaned."
Shahin Rzayev is IWPR's Azerbaijan country director.
Matanat Alieva is editor-in-chief of Impuls newspaper.
By Shahin Rzayev and Matanat Alieva in Baku for Institute for War
and Peace Reporting's Caucasus Reporting Service
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
A1+
[03:49 pm] 09 December, 2006
Dramatic shutdown of popular TV station seen as blow to freedom of
speech. Azerbaijan's most popular and longest-running independent
television channel, ANS, was unexpectedly closed on November 24,
the culmination of a bitter dispute with the government.
The decision was taken that morning by the national television and
radio broadcasting council. Council chairman Nushiravan Magerramli,
said the channel's license was not being extended and called on it
to stop broadcasting within three hours.
The ANS management was not given written notification of the
council's decision, but at precisely three o'clock, operatives
from the communications ministry, accompanied by policemen, broke
into the company's headquarters and switched off and sealed all its
transmitters.
The council said that ANS had repeatedly received warnings for breaking
broadcasting regulations. For the past few years, the company had
been broadcasting without a license, because of an ongoing dispute
with the government. ANS said it had repeatedly applied for a new
license but had been refused.
Mekhti Mamedov, assistant to the chairman of the council, told IWPR,
"Since the council was created in the spring of 2005, ANS was given
nine warnings, and on two occasions it was fined. That is why the
decision to revoke its license is absolutely justified." Mamedov said
ANS had failed to observe advertising regulations and opened a branch
in the town of Sheki without permission.
ANS general director Fuad Jabbarly told IWPR that the channel had
received only five written warnings from the council and reacted in
a proper way to all of them. "I have no idea where the figure nine
comes from," he said. "It's true that we were fined twice and paid
the penalties on time. Until recently, the council never approached
us with any complaints."
ANS started broadcasting in November 1991 and is, according its
president Vahid Mustafaiev, the first private and independent
television channel in the former Soviet Union. It won a reputation
for its frontline reporting from the Nagorny Karabakh conflict - and
has maintained an aggressive stance on the Karabakh issue to this day.
The channel also won popularity for its news reporting, which was more
independent than the official television channels, and for programmes
such as "Internal News", where ordinary citizens were allowed to ask
questions of government officials.
A grand concert had been scheduled for November 26 to mark the
channel's fifteenth birthday, however the administration of the
Heidar Aliev Concert Palace, where the event was due to be held,
cancelled the party, citing the need to make essential repairs.
Rashid Gajily, an expert on media and director of the Institute of Law,
said the council had exceeded its authority by issuing the decision
to close down ANS.
"The council does indeed have the authority to issue and extend
licenses or not to extend them," he said.
"But it is up to a court to decide on the closure of a media
outlet. There were no legal proceedings in the ANS case."
The ANS management says it intends to challenge the decision in court,
while the broadcasting council announced a tender for the station's
frequency with a deadline of January 7.
President Ilham Aliev hinted there was room for compromise, saying,
"There are state organs and they have well-justified demands that
need to be fulfilled.
I think that the dispute with ANS can be resolved in a businesslike
manner and with good will. If all demands are met its activity can
be restored."
But presidential aide Ali Hasanov, apparently with the approval of
his boss, warned, "Even the president himself does not have the right
to interfere in the process of issuing licenses. Responsibility for
this lies with the broadcasting council."
The dramatic shutdown of the popular television channel has triggered
feverish speculation in Azerbaijan.
One interpretation is that the government was planning to make major
concessions to the Armenians in the ongoing peace talks over the
Karabakh issue and therefore wanted to take off the air a station
which strongly opposed compromise in the dispute.
"It's true, the most convincing explanation for the closure of ANS is a
forthcoming surrender of Karabakh," said journalist Ilgar Mamedov. "As
long as ANS was on the air, it would be hard to impose on the people
a peace plan that meant defeat."
Einulla Fatullayev, a former ANS employee who is now a strong critic
and the editor-in-chief of the Realny Azerbaijan newspaper, sees
domestic politics as being at the root of the issue.
"ANS was closely tied to former economic development Farhad Aliev, who
is now accused of plotting a coup d'etat," said Fatullayev. He said
the president could not forgive the station's perceived "treachery"
towards the government.
Most observers are inclined to see the shutdown within the context of
a general move against the independent media in Azerbaijan. Political
scientist Rasim Agayev, who was formerly a government official said,
"ANS was the only media outlet which defended me at a difficult time
when Heidar Aliev was in power and when I was arrested. I consider its
closure a blow against freedom of speech and the image of Azerbaijan
and I am ready to do everything I can to defend it."
US ambassador Ann Derse told the Turan news agency that Azerbaijan
should remember its obligations on freedom of speech under
international treaties and called on the government to reconsider
the issue.
In the meantime, ANS's entire staff is currently on unpaid leave
and waiting to see what happens next to their channel. And millions
of viewers are deeply unhappy. "ANS stood out from the other TV
channels for being much more professional," said 37-year-old Tarlan
Babayev. "With ANS closed it feels as though the airwaves of Azerbaijan
have been orphaned."
Shahin Rzayev is IWPR's Azerbaijan country director.
Matanat Alieva is editor-in-chief of Impuls newspaper.
By Shahin Rzayev and Matanat Alieva in Baku for Institute for War
and Peace Reporting's Caucasus Reporting Service
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress