"The guilty get their way"
Advocate Vardan Harutyunyan doesn't expect the current government to make any real changes in freedom of speech in Armenian.
Harutyunyan considers the role of the National Commission on Television and Radio exclusive.
"That structure will go down in our history as a structure with dark sides because it has only had a negative role. This government's struggle is against free press, television and first and foremost "A1+"."
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the NCTR. It started out by shutting down "A1+".
"The NCTR included people who were only aimed at restricting freedom of speech. Throughout these past 10 years, the NCTR proved that it has stayed true to its calling."
The advocate says all tenders that the NCTR has declared in the past 10 years have been unfair.
Harutyunyan says he wouldn't like to blame Armenian society for the fact that there is no independent television in Armenia. "When they throw the whole blame on the society, the ones who are guilty get their way. The authorities are to blame and they continue to make all television stations "submissive".
As a brilliant example, the advocate views how the authorities settled a score with GALA TV after the shutdown of "A1+". After three years, the authorities finally found a way to free themselves of GALA.
Let us remind that the court ruled that GALA TV had to remove its broadcasting equipment from the top of the old tower in Gyumri, meaning that the television station will remain off air for an uncertain period.
Vardan Harutyunyan recently issued a statement condemning the authorities' actions against GALA and is sure that "only through structural reforms will it be possible to achieve free press and free speech in Armenia, meaning change of power."
He doesn't agree that freedom of speech will progress in Armenia with the dismissal of the NCTR President Grigor Amalyan.
Taking into account the fact that the people have seen today's opposition figures have been part of government, Mr. Harutyunyan didn't deny the fact that free press faced hardships during their term in office, but "what the current authorities did in the past 10 years is very much like what happened in the years of the Communists." "The issues that advocates face today are like no other in the history of the independent Armenia. Robert Kocharyan started forming a state and political relations based on his notions that didn't fall lin line with those of the 21st century."
