The Latvian National Electronic Media Council (NEPLP) imposed a fine of 10,000 rubles on Dozhd TV channel.
This was announced on Twitter by the chairman of the council, Ivars Abolins. NEPLP, he said, considered the map shown by the TV channel with Crimea as part of Russia as a violation, as well as the use of the words “our army” in relation to the Russian Armed Forces.
For Dozhd, this is the second significant violation in recent months identified by NEPLP, Abolins wrote, adding that for three such violations, the broadcasting license could be taken away from the TV channel.
TV channel “Dozhd”, noted the head of NEPLP, should respect Latvian laws.
The editors of the TV channel have not publicly commented on the claims of the National Council for Electronic Media.
Dozhd was blocked in Russia a few days after the start of a full-scale invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine. He was forced to stop working, but in June he received a license to broadcast in Latvia, where journalists from a number of independent Russian publications moved.
In July, the channel announced the resumption of broadcasting. Dozhd CEO Natalya Sindeeva then said that the TV channel would have one – European – company with branches in different countries, including Latvia. It was also reported that in addition to Latvia, the TV channel will be available in Lithuania, Estonia, Israel and Georgia to a number of Internet TV operators.
At the end of July, the Latvian State Security Service reported that it sees risks in the relocation of Russian journalists to the country after the start of the war in Ukraine – both for the security of the Latvian information space, and risks associated with intelligence work, since the media are traditionally included in the sphere. interests of the Russian special services.
More than 200 Russian journalists and 23 media outlets have moved to Latvia since the start of the war, the State Security Service said. In August, Dozhd interviewed the mayor of Riga, Martins Stakis, which was widely discussed both in Latvia and abroad. In particular, the Latvian director Alvis Germanis severely criticized Ekaterina Kotrikadze, who hosted the interview, and even called for the TV channel to be closed. The NEPLP then stated that they did not find any violations of the TV channel.
Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko on December 2 also commented on the broadcast of the Russian opposition channel Dozhd, in which words about helping Russians mobilized for the war against Ukraine were heard.
When “good Russians” help “bad Russians” – can the world finally understand that they are all the same? TC “Dozhd” provides everything necessary for the infidels, who are uncomfortable fighting on our land, – the minister said, having made public an excerpt from the air.
In it, the host of the Dozhd channel called on viewers to inform the editors about the problems of the mobilized. He also expressed hope that the channel could help “many military personnel, for example, with equipment and basic amenities at the front.”
Subsequently, a television channel based in Latvia issued a statement by its editor-in-chief, Tikhon Dzyadko, who countered that Dozhd was providing assistance to the Russian military.
At the same time, the channel fired host Alexei Korostelev after his statements about helping the mobilized. The head of the Dozhd information service, Ekaterina Kotrikadze, announced on air the dismissal of Korostelev and stated that the channel opposes the war in Ukraine and considers the mobilization announced in Russia to be “criminal”.
It is unacceptable on the air to formulate that can give rise to doubts in our position, so we have made a decision with Alexei Korostelev from today. This is a very difficult decision for us. But Dozhd’s leadership considers it the only true and possible one. We apologize for the statements made on the air the day before,” Kotrikadze said.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.