AKMESCIT
A Crimean Tatar network has stopped broadcasting after it failed to get a permit from the Russian government.
ATR network and its affiliates the Lale children's network, Meydan Radio and 15 Minutes news agency all stopped broadcasting on Tuesday night.
The owner of the network, Lenur Islamov, said he received offers to sell ATR but refused.
He said: "We are the owners of this land (Crimea). We need to preserve our own principles and national interests on this soil.
"That’s my stance and it will be the same in the future."
Following Russia's annexation of Crimea in March last year, the ATR administration has applied four times since October to register with the Russian monitoring agency.
The first three applications were turned down, while there was no response to the fourth.
ATR is the first independent Crimean Tatar network and has been broadcasting in the Tatar language, Russian and Ukrainian since its foundation in 2006.
