DUSHANBE, September 24, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan’s High Economic Court has handed down a ruling overturning the injunction granted by the Dushanbe City Court a month ago. The injunction had upheld ruling by the licensing commission of the Committee for TV and Radio-broadcasting on revoking Somoniyon’s operating license.
The station head Ikrom Mirzoyev said that they had appealed to the High Economic Court and “asked to invalidate illegal suspending order made by the licensing commission in March 2005.”
According to him, a ruling handed down at the High Economic Court, the deputy court chairman, Salimboy Fathulloyev, overturned the injunction granted by the Dushanbe city court, invalidated suspending order by the licensing commission, and charged the licensing commission to extend and reissue Somoniyon’s broadcasting license in accordance with procedure established by law.”
“Now we should submit application to the licensing commission for reissuing our license,” said Mirzoyev, “But to continue our work we have to assess our financial opportunities. Probably, we will be able to go on the air at the beginning of the ext year.”
The Dushanbe independent TV station Somoniyon was founded in 1991, and went on the air on September 9, 1993. But since March 2005, its activity has been suspended.
We will recall that Tajik tax police closed the Somoniyon television station on 17 May, 2005. Somoniyon’s broadcasting license was previously revoked but the station was granted an additional three months in April pending an attempt to re-register.
Somoniyon’s license expired in late 2004, but it was granted a three-month extension in connection with the 27 February 2005 parliamentary elections. According to the licensing commission the station failed to submit the required paperwork and therefore it lost its license.
