SIMFEROPOL, Russia, April 1 (UPI) -- The last television channel broadcast in the Crimean Tatar language in Crimea was shut down after Russian authorities denied the station a broadcast license.
Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor rejected the attempts of the channel, ATR, to register under Russian law, claiming technicalities. Crimean Tatars, an ethnic group, make up 10 percent of Crimea's population.
ATR was under a Ukrainian license until the end of Tuesday, and they shut off the channel after midnight.
Lenur Islyamov, owner of ATR, said he does not plan to move the station elsewhere. There was a rally of about 100 Crimean Tatars who went to the station's headquarters to show support.
Amnesty International released a statement, condemning alleged discrimination against the Crimean Tatar community by Russian authorities.
"At the stroke of midnight, all but one Crimean Tatar language media outlets, which have come under a sustained assault since the Russian annexation, will fall silent," Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia, said. "This blatant attack on freedom of expression, dressed-up as an administrative procedure, is a crude attempt to stifle independent media, gag dissenting voices, and intimidate the Crimean Tatar community."
Consequences the station faced if it didn't shut down include hefty fines, confiscation of equipment and criminal charges against the management.
