Court Cancels ANS License

Baku Court of Appeal today upheld the claim of the National Broadcasting Council (NBC) on the elimination of the license of the independent broadcasting and media company ANS.

The reason for this was the coverage of the events in Turkey by the broadcaster during the attempted coup and preparation of an interview with the preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara has accused of conspiring and terrorist activities.

On this basis, NBC stopped broadcasting by ANS on July 18.

During the trial, the legal representative of ANS Sevda Maharramova petitioned for suspending the proceedings in this case, since the Prosecutor General Office started investigating the case against the founders of ANS Vahid Mustafayev and Mirshahin Agayev for promotion of "terrorism." The lawyer motivated her position by the fact that one and the same case cannot be subject to two investigations.

In turn, the spokesman for NBC, Chief of Staff Togrul Mammadov said the case could be terminated only if the Turkish stop accusing Gulen of terrorism.

The ANS petition was not granted. The representative of the company stated that on the day ANS for 24 hours led reports from Turkey, and if the propaganda of terror and vandalism was made, then let the claimant submit the pictures.

Judge Ulvi Mailov said in response only that the judge carefully examined the video, but also did not specify how the broadcaster violated the law.

The representative of NBC said that even the Turkish channels supporting Gulen did not spread the audio of a TRT presenter reading out the statement of the coup organizers, while ANS repeatedly demonstrated it in the simultaneous translation. In addition, the ANS showed footage of tanks hitting on people, cut off heads and arms, which, according to the representative of NBC, is a sign of vandalism.

ANS asked to show the footage. However, this was not done. Ultimately, the court annulled the license from 2013.

ANS intends to file an appeal to the Supreme Court.   -06D--