Azeri supreme court to consider private TV's appeal over licence

Azerbaijan's Supreme Court will consider private ANS TV's appeal against a decision to revoke its licence on 8 September, APA news agency has reported.


ANS TV was taken off air for a month in July by the country's media regulator, the National Council on Television and Radio, after a TV correspondent attended Fethullah Gulen's presser in Washington. Ten days later, a court ruled to revoke the TV's licence.


Haqqin.az website reported on 18 August that representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia, Iran and the USA sent letters to President Ilham Aliyev, asking for his assistance to renew the TV's licence.


ANS played a significant role in the development of independent reporting in Azerbaijan until its temporary closure by the broadcasting regulator in 2006. Since then the TV has adopted a more cautious, self-censored approach to news coverage.

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