Mesrop Movsesyan is the Director of the independent television
station, A1 Plus, which was deprived of its license to broadcast
on April 2, 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
the Republic of 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 April 2, 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 www.a1plus.am .

By Onnik Krikorian

YEREVAN, ARMENIA

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 is considered the only real source of news in Armenia.
It deals with real issues and real people, and many consider that its
closure will be sorely felt and lamented by many.

MM: We were the only television station that provided impartial and
unbiased information and news, and that is the only reason why we are
now prevented from broadcasting. It was also a very popular station and
people are already visiting or 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 they have pledged to. We have already established
ourselves and Sharm will have to spend some of that money in order to
establish its technical facilities. We have already accomplished this
but they will have to start from scratch. What is more important is that
they are believed to be very supportive of the 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 the government officials or businessmen and this therefore creates
significant problems for the development of the independent media.

These problems are even more acute for the broadcast media and there
are some very sensitive questions that need to be asked 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 that 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 their network. However, AATV violated our
contract by stopping our broadcasts shortly after midnight. Maybe they
have also been put under political pressure. As a result, 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.

OK: Yesterday, the Armenian President was given significant
airtime on Channel Armenia to voice his opinion on the closure of A1
Plus. Speaking at Zvartnots Airport before leaving for Tajikistan, the
President said that he respected A1 Plus's news coverage but stressed
that he couldn't interfere in the tender. He instead suggested that
the station bid for another frequency in the future.

MM: This was just Asian hypocrisy in action and typically, it's
his style. Instead, and assuming that we do prove successful in another
competition for a new frequency, it will take time to resume our
broadcasts. It might take a year and as we can expect the Presidential
Elections in 2003, it is likely that the authorities will deprive us of
the possibility to broadcast at that time also.

OK: The President did however suggest that A1 Plus was being used
by opposition forces close to former President Levon Ter Petrosian to
create political instability in Armenia. Despite this however, it was
interesting for me to see that individuals as diverse as Vladimir
Chadoyev, Chairman of the National Union of Minorities, and Vazgen
Manukian of the opposition National Democratic Union (AZhM) appeared
on A1 Plus to voice their support for the station.

There have also been messages of support from Armen Rustamian of the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutiun and from members of the
Republican Party although they did not officially represent the
Government of the Prime Minister, Andranik Markarian. Are the
allegations that A1 Plus represents the interests of opposition groups
in Armenia fair?

MM: A1 Plus is just an independent company and none of the
political parties have an impact on the content of our programs. We
have to provide the opportunity for everyone to express their opinions
and we can do this because we are independent.

OK: Therefore, if legal action to resume broadcasting fails, what
happens next? What happens to your premises and your staff? Will your
journalists continue to work as they have done and will they be able to
use other mediums such as the Internet to publish articles and analysis?

MM: We will do our best to keep our staff with us and if we don't
succeed through legal action we will continue to disseminate news
through our Ayb-Fe news agency. In fact, we will also return to the way
we worked before 1996 through our TV Production Company and our media
training program. We shall also use our web site to disseminate news and
information.

OK: Everyone I've spoken to today says they consider the closure
of A1 Plus as not only bad for the independent media in Armenia but
also for the country. However, given widespread political apathy, it
remains to be seen how many people will attend the rally scheduled to
be staged in support of A1 Plus on Friday. What are your expectations?

MM: If people are apathetic that's one thing, and it has to be
said that the opposition might use the closure of A1 Plus for their
own political purposes. There is the danger that the closure of A1
Plus will become a secondary issue. However, we are already receiving
phone calls from every walk of life, including children, expressing
their sympathy and support. Some even said that they could forget past
misdeeds by the authorities but that they could not forgive this. I do
not know what will happen on Friday but should point out that the
rally is being arranged by political parties and not by A1 Plus.

OK: We've been talking about the media in Armenia, but what about
the Diaspora? Have Armenians living abroad an important role to play in
support of A1 Plus and the independent media in Armenia?

MM: I am sure that the Diaspora believes that any money invested
in this area goes towards the development of the independent media in
Armenia. In reality however, it is allocated to media organizations
that are close to the authorities.

Our independence is under threat and the Diaspora assumes that they have
access to impartial information. However, they are instead receiving
information from Channel Armenia and other pro-governmental outlets. The
Diaspora is being deceived but thinks that what they are receiving is
objective and impartial.

This is a real threat to our independence. If representatives from the
Diaspora really want an independent and democratic country then only the
independent media can provide real news about real issues from our
country. We're not speaking about financial assistance incidentally, but
simply the need for moral support.

OK: There will be a media and information component at the second
Armenia-Diaspora Conference scheduled for 26-27 May. However, while the
Conference is open to anyone in the Diaspora, the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs appears very selective in who can attend from Armenia. A number
of prominent independent journalists and analysts in Armenia for
example, have not been informed. Have you been invited and can the case
of A1 Plus be pursued through the conference?

MM: I have not been informed or invited, and you have to realize
that this type of conference has only been organized to attract money to
Armenia. It merely promotes the existence of the new hotels, shops and
restaurants in Yerevan.

I also suspect that representatives of the Diaspora have business
interests in Armenia, and whether they like it or not, the success of
their investment is dependent on remaining in favor with the incumbent
President.

Instead, if the Diaspora wants to have an independent media in their
country they must support us morally. It is very important that
Armenians living abroad understand this. Otherwise, today's policies
will lead to disaster in the future.

---
Onnik Krikorian is a photojournalist and the Armenia and Artsakh
Correspondent for the US-based Armenian Weekly newspaper
[www.armenianweekly.com].