“National Assembly received another order”
The Armenian government's hasty attempts to put the amendments and addenda to the RA Law on Television and radio on the National Assembly's agenda found deep resonance among mass media and NGOs.
Under the draft law, 18 out of 22 Armenian TV companies are expected to switch to digital broadcasting in 2010.
"We try to adopt another law in haste without putting it under a public discussion. It is very important that all TV companies realize its seriousness," says Chairwoman of Internews NGO Nune Sargsyan.
President of Yerevan Press Club Boris Navasardyan thinks the bill endangers the sphere.
"The authorities seek to maintain the inadmissible state of mass media which is politically advantageous to them," says Mr. Navasardyan who is concerned with diverse interpretations of the bill which may create problems for the Internet broadcast.
"It means that the sphere of television and Internet of Armenia will lag behind that of other countries, including Armenia's rivals. This can have serious consequences for Armenia. If the amendments are enacted in their present form and are wrongly interpreted, they will definitely interfere with the Internet," he adds.
President of "A1 +" Mesrop Movsesyan is concerned that the bill appeared on the NA agenda without being discussed in the NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture Affairs. The hasty introduction of the bill in the NA agenda is another order," said Mr. Movsesyan.
Today, Yerevan Press Club, Internews and the Committee for the Protection of Freedom of Speech, issued a statement in which they express their concern about draft amendments to the Law on Television and Radio.
