YEREVAN, OCTOBER 30, NOYAN TAPAN. The broadcasting of videoing of the September 21 speech of first RA President by the Gala Gyumri's TV company was preceded by warning telephone calls "asking" not to broadcast that speech. The calls were made by various departments, including the RA President's administration, the National Security Service, the Chairman of the National Commission of Television and Radio. Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed about it by Vahan Khachatrian, the TV company's owner. In spite of the warnings, Levon Ter-Petrosian's speech was broadcast by Gala on October 14. "After the broadcast, on October 23, the employees of the State Tax Service visited the TV company and officially notified about checkings," V. Khachatrian said. However, in his wrds, those checkings are formal. V. Khachatrian stated that he will not obey to pressures and they are going to continue providing unbiassed and many-sided information by their company. The Asparez Gyumri's journalist club, in its October 30 statement, classes the incident as pressure upon a free medium. "We had repeatedly stated formerly, and we repeat that any departmental checking held in a medium on the threshold of the elections, irrespective of its outcome, just obstructs media's work and possible freedom. Such checkings held during 6-8 months preceding any elections are considered as a direct pressure upon media. It is time to put an end to this disgraceful practice," the club's statement read.

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