No administrative proceedings will be instituted for failure to air the Armenian national anthem. The issue on failure by television and radio stations to air the Armenian national anthem on New Year’s Eve was discussed during the session held by the National Commission on Television and Radio today, as reported the Commission.

During the session, Chairman of the Commission Tigran Hakobyan stated that for days, mass media outlets and online presses had been discussing the failure by television and radio stations to air the Armenian national anthem on New Year’s Eve.

According to the Armenian legislation on the national anthem of the Republic of Armenia, the national anthem of the Republic of Armenia shall be aired by all television and radio stations operating in the territory of the Republic of Armenia, irrespective of form of ownership, on New Year’s Eve, after the strikes of the clock at Republic Square in Yerevan. Violation of the requirements of the law shall entail liability as prescribed by law.

What was also discussed during the session as the fact that, according to the legislation, a fine is applied for violation of the law, but under the law on television and radio, there is no fine stipulated for failure to air the national anthem of the Republic of Armenia after the strikes of the clock at Republic Square in Yerevan.

Considering all these facts, the Commission stated that even though there had been a violation of the law on the national anthem of the Republic of Armenia, governed by the legislation regulating the sector of television and radio, the Commission is not competent to apply liability measures.