Cases

Meltex Ltd & Movsesyan v Armenia

Held

Finding that NTRC's refusal did amount to an interference: The legislation by which the NTRC had granted broadcasting licences to companies defined the criteria on which the authority was to base its choice in awarding those licences but did not require NTRC to give reasons for its decision. NTRC had simply announced the winner of each call for tenders without giving reasons why that company had met the requisite criteria and not B. A licensing procedure which lacked a requirement to give reasons for its decisions did not provide adequate protection against arbitrary interference by a public authority with the right to freedom of expression. Accordingly, the interference with B's freedom to impart information and ideas, namely the denials of a broadcasting licence, did not meet the requirement of lawfulness, in breach of Art.10 ECHR. B was awarded EUR 20,000 in non-pecuniary damages and EUR 10,000 for costs and expenses.

Also