Court Rules for Russian TV Station
MOSCOW — Russia’s TV6 television station, widely considered the last bastion of independence on the country’s airwaves, won a major court battle Saturday to stay in business.
A Moscow arbitration court canceled earlier rulings to liquidate the company and ordered further hearings, said Tatiana Blinova, a spokeswoman for TV6.
The station had faced liquidation after a minority shareholder brought a bankruptcy case against it on accusations that it failed to earn a profit.
TV6 denied that it was losing money, and supporters accused the Kremlin of trying to force the station off the air because of its criticism of President Vladimir V. Putin and his government.
The legal battle has caused international concern.
“The TV6 case represents a threat to the independence of the media in Russia,†Alexander Vershbow, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, told Echo of Moscow radio Friday. “For us, it seems a little bit bizarre that a station that is becoming very profitable is suddenly being liquidated for bankruptcy.â€
TV6 is led by a group of journalists who left NTV television after it was taken over this year by the state-connected Gazprom natural gas giant.
NTV’s former owner, tycoon Vladimir A. Gusinsky, accused the Kremlin of ordering the takeover to silence a critical voice.
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