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He says such a recommendation will be made in late June after receiving an explanation from the European Commission that the European Union sanctions should cover not only blacklisted people, but also companies controlled by them.
“We are talking about the state news agency Rossija Segodnia, RT, as we can say the opposite. Its CEO is Dmitry Kiseliov, who is sanctioned and according to the statute of that company, is a truly unique administrator appointed by the President of Russia himself appoints the officials, determines the structure, the policy, directs the economic and financial affairs of this organization, “he told reporters. L. Linkevičius said.
“It just caught our eye then. It is sanctioned, that is, without a doubt, and the channels it runs must be sanctioned. We will present this type of recommendation to the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission,” L. Linkevičius told reporters.
L. Linkevičius says that Lithuania, together with Latvia and Estonia, asked the European Commission for clarification on the application of sanctions in February.
The Minister called for attention to this clarification by companies in the country with trade relations with Russia.
“I would like to point out that they would also take into account the fact that companies may not be on the list, but those who control them may be penalized. As a result, the consequences may be, as we have already noted after the review by the European Commission, as they are, ”he said.
“It is not a political statement, it is legal and economic. Therefore, everything must be weighed, thoroughly reviewed legally. Everything is happening, I think, very quickly. That she (Latvia – BNS) managed to do the first time this time did not It is a race. The point is to make the right decision, I don’t think we are delaying anything, “said the minister.
L. Linkevičius recalled that Lithuania had already started to impose restrictions on some Russian televisions seven years ago due to war and incitement to discord, but stressed that in this case it was “economic sanctions”.
The minister says censorship of content “is not the way to go”, but previous LRTK decisions to temporarily ban some TVs due to propaganda were deemed necessary for security reasons.
“But if violence, coercion is promoted, knowledge is clearly distorted, which has security consequences: it is clear that it must be sanctioned.” And it is not for life, there is a certain period of time, there are warnings before that. I do not think we should abuse those restrictions, we are a free society and, first of all, we must tolerate freedom of expression. But we always emphasize that the freedom to spread the news is not equated with the freedom to lie, “said the country’s diplomat.
At the same time, he acknowledged that the EU does not have a unified sanctions strategy and called on other states to lead by example.
“We agree that (unified strategy – BNS) does not exist and we believe that it should exist. But the call to be there is not enough; we need to give an example. All correspondence, which has taken place since February, request for clarification it shows the need for a position as consolidated, reasoned and as united as possible. With this action, we ask for such a position, “said L. Linkevičius.
Latvia’s National Electronic Media Council (NEPLP) has decided this week to ban the broadcasting of seven RT channels on the grounds that they are controlled by Dmitry Kiseliov, who is on the EU sanctions list. The Latvian service asked other members of the Community to do the same.
Mantas Martišius, head of the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission (LRTK), told BNS that the commission would consider following the example of Latvia and banning RT channels as soon as it receives an official position from the ministry justifying that Kiseliov was associated with the media group.
“Most importantly, there must be material proving that there is a connection between an authorized person on the EU list and the broadcast channel. Then the Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission in the near future, i. Next Wednesday , put the issue on the agenda and make a decision, “he emphasized.
According to the LRTK chief, this is necessary to prepare for possible legal action when the RT group can appeal against the commission’s bans.
RT, formerly known as Russia Today, is a network of television channels broadcasting in English, Spanish, Arabic, and other languages and distributing pro-Kremlin content.
According to NEPLP, the prohibition applies to RT, RT HD, Arabic RT, Spanish RT, RT documentary HD, RT documentary and RT TV.
According to LRTK data, two channels of this group are shown in Lithuania: RT Spanish and RT Documentary, they are broadcast by three companies: Balticum, Consilium Optimum and Penki kontinentai.
D. Kiseliov has been included in the list of people subject to sanctions due to his important role in Russian propaganda in support of the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and ongoing Russian military activities in eastern and southeastern Ukraine.
It is not allowed to publish, quote or reproduce the information of the BNS news agency in the media and on the Internet without the written consent of UAB “BNS”.
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