Deputy chairman of the Russian Democratic Party YABLOKO and deputy of the State Duma Sergei Mitrokhin sharply criticised the decision of the Praesidium of the RF Supreme Arbitration Court to liquidate the TV-6 television company.

"The haste with which the Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court of
the RF adopted the decision to liquidate the TV-6 television company confirms the concern that the judicial system of Russia has been transformed into a tool of political reprisals" said Mitrokhin in an interview with journalists on January 11, 2002.

"This decision, noted Mitrokhin, can be put on the same level as last’s year destruction of NTV and the recent Draconian verdict on Grigory Pasko."

"I think, stressed Mitrokhin, one of YABLOKO’s leaders, - that in all these cases different courts ignored, under the pressure of political lobbyists, the constitutional right of citizens to free access and dissemination of information envisaged by Article 29 of the Constitution."

Mitrokhin is convinced that "liquidation of TV-6 will obviously lead to the ultimate monopoly of the state

on the electronic mass media, which will throw Russia 20 years back."

Last year the Moscow Arbitration Court of the first and the cassation instances adopted decisions to liquidate TV-6, based on a lawsuit of the

non-state pension fund "LUKOIL-Garant", which owns 15% of the shares of TV-6.

On December 29, 2001, the Federal Arbitration Court of the Moscow District repealed these decision and sent the case to a new investigation.

On January 4, 2002, Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Arbitration Court Edward Renov submitted a protest on the decision adopted on December 29.

On January 11, 2002, the Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the RF repealed the decision of the Federal Arbitration Court of the Moscow District and left the decision to liquidate TV-6 in force.

See also:

TV6 case