YEREVAN, DECEMBER 24, NOYAN TAPAN. The judicial enquiry on the case of lawsuit of the Armenian National Movement (ANM) Party against the Shant TV company, presided over by judge Saro Aramian, finished on December 24 at the first instance court of Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeytun communities of Yerevan. ANM representative Karen Karapetian affirmed the lawsuit, with which the latter asks to oblige the TV company to refute the information discrediting party's good reputation. According to the shorthand report introduced to the court, during the October 30 information program of Shant, announcer Nver Mnatsakanian said that an anonymous call was received by the TV company, the author of which threatened that if they give some negative information on first President Levon Ter-Petrosian, he will explode the journalists and their relatives. After that N. Mnatsakanian mentioned "by the way" that the TV company has invited one of ANM Board members to its information program, but the latter did not agree to come. Then the announcer condemned the phenomenon with the words "no matter what political force has done it." "What grounds do you have that this is a political force and not a maniac?" the ANM representative asked. It was also emphasized that the phone number, from which they called the TV company, is known. And on November 1 the Pakagits newspaper distorted the statements made on air for even more, by publishing that material under the title "ANM Threatens." A representative of the respondent party, lawyer Aram Karakhanian said that the information voiced by Shant does not contain any element discrediting party's good reputation, honor and dignity. He noted that the law demands refuting the information and not the analysis or opinion made on the basis of it. Eduard Chinarian, a representative of the Pakagits newspaper, stated that the title "is not information," that the statement made by Shant was not distorted in the newspaper's material. The verdict on the case will be pronounced on January 9.

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