Latvia’s Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP) has decided to ban broadcasts of TV channel RTR Rossiya in the country, as confirmed on Twitter by NEPLP chairman Ivars Āboliņš.
He said the council decided to shut down broadcasts of the aforementioned television channel in Latvia as off 15 February. The ban will remain in force for one year.
«We protected, protect and will continue protecting our information space,» he wrote on Twitter.
As previously reported, after noticing signs of hate speech in Sweden-based TV programme 60 minutes of Rossiya RTR, NEPLP commenced a restriction procedure in July 2020, promising to ban the channel in the event of a second violation.
NEPLP explained that a discussion of the 10 July 2020 footage of 60 minutes programme revealed that statements used by both participants of the programme and its host Olga Skabeyeva contained elements of hate speech, calling Ukraine a terrorist country and its former president Petro Poroshenko – a terrorist. Ukraine’s representative said Russia is «waiting for Ukraine to split in order to conquer it». During the programme its host suggested Russia to enter Ukraine and «calm both sides of the conflict».
Electronic Mass Media Law states that
the programmes and broadcasts of the electronic mass media may not contain incitement to hatred or discrimination against a person or group of persons on the grounds of sex, race or ethnic origin, nationality, religious affiliation or faith, disability, age or other circumstances.
In this particular case, NEPLP found a possible violation in regards to incitement to hatred against the state and people of Ukraine.
In accordance to the Audio-Visual Media Services Directive, NEPLP provides broadcasting freedom within Latvia’s territory and does not limit broadcasts of electronic mass media from other EU and Eurozone member states, except for cases when a programme has violated the Electronic Mass Media Law.
