- Title: AZERBAIJAN: Azerbaijan authorities order independent TV station off the air
- Date: 25th November 2006
- Summary: INTERIOR OF ANS TV STUDIO NEWS PRESENTER IN STUDIO ANS TV NEWS PRESENTER READING ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE AZERI AUTHORITIES HAD ORDERED THE STATION CLOSED REACTIONS FROM STAFF, SOME CRYING NEWS PRESENTER READING CLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENT VARIOUS OF STAFF AT THE TV STATION VARIOUS OF TV SCREEN STAFF AT STATION TV STATION MANAGEMENT, POLICE AND GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES INSIDE T
- Embargoed: 10th December 2006 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Azerbaijan
- Country: Azerbaijan
- Topics: Communications
- Reuters ID: LVA12PDTVLOT2PQSZ1N3JO4MRB0Z
- Story Text: Azerbaijan's national television and radio authority on Friday (November 24) ordered the biggest independent broadcaster ANS off the air.
TV and radio broadcasting was stopped at 3 p.m. (1100 GMT) as police briefly surrounded the ANS building and officials switched off its transmitter.
Staff at ANS Television watched in disbelief as a news presenter read the announcement of the forced shutting down of broadcasts.
"About an hour ago, our board of directors were informed that we had to stop our TV and radio broadcasts. To be honest we thought it was some kind of a joke or a misunderstanding. But as you can see, within an hour the representatives of the government broadcast authority came here, and did what they had come here to do," ANS president Vahid Mustafayev told reporters in the compound of the company's TV and radio complex.
Azeri TV and radio regulator officials said the ANS, the country's biggest independent media group, was working under an expired license since 2004.
The company was also broadcasting Voice of America's reports.
Rights groups have been critical of the government's commitment to human rights and freedom of speech in Azerbaijan, where President Ilham Aliyev, who succeeded his late father in 2003, keeps a tight grip on power. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None