The National Commission on Television and Radio (NCTR) failed to grant a broadcast license to A1+ TV already for the 13th time, saying that the company had submitted a number of fake financial documents bearing the seal of a British-registered company that stopped operating in 2007. An international media watchdog – Human Rights Watch – has released a statement deploring the NCTR decision. "Armenia has denied a broadcast license to an independent television station, A1+, despite a European Court of Human Rights judgment that previous denials violated freedom of expression," Human Rights Watch said in the statement. "The decision is another setback for freedom of expression and information in Armenia," said Giorgi Gogia, South Caucasus researcher at Human Rights Watch. "It’s clear that keeping a critic off the air is more important to this government than its international legal obligations." "The transition to digital broadcasting was supposed to provide opportunities for greater media pluralism in Armenia," Gogia said. "The government has a long way to go to prove that its deeds match its commitments."
