22:00, 7 December 2006

PACE co-rapporteur calls Azerbaijani authorities to resume ANS TV Channel

Tony Lloyd, rapporteur of the PACE monitoring committee for Azerbaijan, said in his interview to the BBC Radio that the administrative decision to stop the ANS TV Channel was "a very reactionary step."

Mr. Lloyd has also reported that he has no plans to write any report on the issue for consideration at the January PACE session.

At the same time, he has noted that Azerbaijan should fulfil its liabilities before the Council of Europe also in the sphere of mass media freedom. Since the respective documents are in place, it is assumed that they should be executed.

In his turn, Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, is also keeping his attentive eye on the issue of ANS broadcast ban. This was reported by Mathias Gruden, press secretary of the CE Secretary General, the "Day.Az" reports. In M. Gruden's words, "every element of this process is carefully analyzed."

Meanwhile, the creative group and technical personnel of the ANS TV and ANS CM Radio Station were completely dismissed.

Author: Zaur Rasulzade, CK correspondent