04 December 2007, 20:12
Barsegyan: Armenian authorities persecute the "Gala" TV Company for broadcasting Ter-Petrosyan
The tax audits held in the "Gala" TV Company and other steps of the authorities of Armenia against the Company have been provoked by electoral processes, in particular, by broadcasting of the Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the first President of Armenia.
This is the topic of the statement sent by Levon Barsegyan, leader of the Gyumri Club of Journalists "Asparez", to Mayor of the city of Gyumri Vardan Gukasyan.
According to L. Barsegyan, the persecution of the "Gala" TV Company began after broadcasting by the speech of the first President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan at the meeting on October 26.
In Mr Barsegyan's opinion, these initiatives of the authorities are directed towards stopping the Company as soon as possible.
We note here that the "Gala" TV Company, which is broadcasting in the second largest city of Armenia, is defendant in two criminal cases at the same time. The claimant in the first case is the tax service, which accuses the Company of non-payment of taxes in the sum of 26 million drams (Note of the "Caucasian Knot": at the present exchange rate, 1 US dollar is equal to 305 Armenian drams). The claimant in the second case is the Gyumri City Mayoralty, which has addressed the Economic Court with a demand to force the defendant - the "ChAP" Limited Liability Company (the founder of the "Gala" TV Company) - to remove the Company's equipment from the old TV tower in Gyumri.
Author: Ashot Ter-Grigorian, CK correspondent
