The Armenian government has taken an independent TV station in the north of the Republic off the air following an unprecedented fundraiser in the former Soviet country where citizens helped GALA TV pay off taxes that the authorities had attempted to use for silencing the station.

Although the government claims the closing to be temporary – it is actually requiring GALA TV to take its main broadcast dish off a tele-tower owned by the city of Gyumri – many see this as continous oppression against freedom of expression.  The report about the closure is available in Armenian at http://a1plus.am/amu/?page=issue&iid=59643.

Wow, the new president really wants to piss people off.