Fund for Freedom of Speech Support was legally registered today. Fund goal is to promote creation and development of independent media, including press, television and Internet. The Fund will provide financial support to individual journalists, promote establishment of independent printing offices and supply equipment to independent media. The Fund will award prizes, organise round tables and...

Witness on October 27 terrorist action case, former Social Security Minister Razmik Martirosyan testified today before the court. Martirosyan has been familiar with defendant Nairi Hunanyan for long time and used to meet him in the House of the Parliament. The minister didn’t see how the terrorists rushed the session hall of the National Assembly. He only heard shootings. His initial assumption...

On May the 24-th, 2002, the interview with Grigor Amalyan, the chairman of TV and Radio National Commission, was published in "Hayots Ashkharh" Daily. Mr. Amalyan said in the interview that by the 20-th of June a competition would be announced for the frequency ranges of "Ar", "Prometevs", "Cinemax", "NTV" TV Channels which were on the air without licences.But today Ishkhan Vardanyan, the head of the...

The Armenian historians as well are displeased with Armenia's foreign policy. Today they addressed a call to the co-chairmen of OSCE Minsk Group, the authorities of Nagorno Karabagh, the social-political organizations and parties.The Armenian historians demand not to separate the Northern Artsakh from the common one. The Armenian districts of Gandzak, i.e., Shamkhor, Dashkesan, Khanlar, Shahumyan are...

77 DAYS SINCE "A1+" TV CHANNEL WAS BANNED FROM AIR

A number of victims in October 27 terrorist action – several members of Armenian National Assembly and one former minister- appeared before the court at today’s hearing. Former leader of Assembly’s communist fraction Hrant Voskanyan said being at the parliamentary session on October 27,1999, he has heard shooting and laid oneself down lake others. Voskanyan is sure there is some power backing...

A1+ web site readers within Armenia territory can use http://home.a1plus.am . For foreign readers www.a1plus.am is available.

74 DAYS SINCE "A1+" TV CHANNEL WAS BANNED FROM AIR

Judge Arman Mkrtumyan tried to blame the laws for "A1+" TV ceasing, saying they were "imperfect" / his action was not a surprise. Those having shut down "A1+" didn't want to "come through unscathed", blaming the "imperfect" law for that /.During dispute on competitions Mr. Mkrtumyan said the laws were being commented in different ways. As he thinks, the National Commission and Tigran Ter Yesayan, "A1+"...

Our leading "actor"assumed a role of an all-powerful hero who's not afraid of anything or anybody. Before the session began he had told the guests, i.e. those present, would be made to leave the Court Hall if uttered a word.The first "victim" was Mickael Danielyan, the chairman of Helsinki Association. The reason was taping by camera. Mr. Mkrtumyan shouted on recording and demanded them to be switched...

Today the Economic Chamber / Chairman Arman Mkrtumyan / of the Court of Appeal left unchanged the decision by the Economic Court on April the 25-th.On April the 25-th the Economic Court refused the claim by "A1+" TV Company against TV and Radio National Commission. "A1+" demanded to declare invalid the decisions by the Commission on broadcasting licence for TV and Radio programs .Through the claim...

"Yezdies don't want to live in Armenia any longer". Yezdy National Union of Armenia says about 25 Yezdi families of Kotayk and Ararat Provinces are obliged to leave Armenia. "They have been deprived of the distant pastures through the Armenian authorities' fault and run the danger of physical extirpation",- warn the Yezdies.Let's note those families have been making protest actions at the residence...

Today Khachik Avetisyan, the employee of Public TV as well as the cameraman of movable TV station, appeared before the First Instance Court of Center-Nork Marash communities.On October the 27-th, 1999, he worked on the camera which was set near the presidium of Parliament. He saw terrorist Karen Hunanyan entering the Parliament Hall and shooting at prime-minister Vazgen Sargsyan. He also saw Nairi...

On June the 13-rd a "BMW" car collided into a bus on Yerevan-Ashtarak highway. The driver of "BMW" Hovhannes Hayrapetyan, the well-known businessman as well as the proprietor of "Ararat Hotel" was taken to hospital with bodily injuries. At hospital Hovhannes Hayrapetyan deceased.

Armenian youth should have an opportunity to continue study abroad, Executive Director of Armenian Nation-Wide Youth Fund Artur Poghosyan says. A structure covering students’ tuition fees is to be founded soon, he said at today’s session of “Armenia-Diaspora” Conference. The only thing that remains to be done is to force them come back to motherland upon completing study. Government assists the fund intensively, Arthur Poghosyan says....

Hearing of the October 27 terrorist action case is suspended once again because of lack of witnesses. Called to court witnesses – the ministers, who had been present at the parliamentary session while shooting - failed to attend Wednesday’s hearing because of being busy. Trial to be continued Thursday.

71 DAYS SINCE "A1+" TV CHANNEL WAS BANNED FROM AIR

An important change is made in the Karabakhi conflict settlement policy: stage-by-stage solution version was replaced with part-by-part one, Democratic Party leader Aram Sargsyan said Saturday at the Constitutional Law Union’s “Azdak” club. In Sargsyan’s words, this version of the conflict solution was proposed earlier by Vladimir Kazimirov, OSCI Minsk Group co-chairman. However, in Democratic Party leader’s opinion, there is some danger...

Today Parliament deputy David Hovhannes appeared before the Court. His testimony was emotional and full of slang expressions.David Hovhannes was displeased with the curses by the terrorists. As he said, they were "of poor imagination, primitive and uninteresting".Hovhannes said he was sure he would die. "It seemed the terrorists would shoot everybody. The only thing I worried about was that I felt...

Advocate Ashot Sargsyan, Karen Demirchyan's assignee solicited the Military Office of Public Prosecutor for the examination of the 2-nd tape on October the 27-th terrorism action in the Parliament Hall which was seized during the search of the house of Harutyun Harutyunyan, the vice-chairman of Public TV.Today judge Uzunyan declared the answer of Military Office of Public Prosecutor. It turned out...

Today Parliament deputy Grigor Harutyunyan, the victim for October the 27-th teract case, appeared before the Court. He told he had heard one of the terrorists saying in the Parliament Hall: "He is still alive, kill him!" .Harutyunyan asserts he had seen Karen Hunanyan hitting the killed prime-minister with the machine carbine.Harutyunyan added that at the end Hunanyan had kicked Vazgen Sargsyan's...

Today Grigori Grigoryan, the vice-minister of National Security completed the testimony in the First Instance Court of Center-Nork-Marash communities.He said he assumed the role of the organizer of the negotiations on October the 27-th not on his own initiative. Deputy Gagik Kostandyan "nominated" him for that. Grigoryan said he knew nothing on the details of Nairi Hunanyan's and Alexan Harutyunyan's...

“The children in the Minors’ Colony are estranged from the society and don’t think themselves to be full members of that ”,- says Temik Khalapyan, the head of “Trtu” cultural social organization. To integrate those children into the society, 50 art works by the children of Abovyan’s Minors’ Colony were exposed in the “ArmArt” cultural center today. Due to the “Pyunik” project by “Trtu”, for 4 months the imprisoned children...

"By the end of 2004 quility of water-supply in Yerevan will be equal to that in civilized countries" ,- today promised the authorities of "Water-Supply and Sewerage" CJSC of Yerevan. 112 blocks of flats in Yerevan are already provided with water round-the-clock. The State Commitee of Water Economy of Armenia and "A Utility" Company elaborated a project for turning the water-supply sheduled system...