Interim Commission of the Federation Council on information policy and media relations urged the foreign Ministry and other Executive authorities to impose sanctions against the authorities of the Baltic countries because of the situation with RT and Sputnik.
We are talking about the leadership of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which "violates the principles of freedom of speech and dissemination of information, as well as its obligations to international organizations".
Bans in three countries
Previously, Estonia has banned the activities of the Agency Sputnik, in Lithuania – the broadcasting of five television channels RT, Latvia to seven channels. In Riga explained by the fact that the media are owned by the Director of MIA "Russia today" Dmitry Kiselyov, against whom the EU imposed sanctions.
While Kiselev is the Director General of MIA "Russia today", while the chief editor of RT Margarita Simonyan, for which no EU sanctions do not apply. These companies were two separate legal entities, this information is well known and is in the public domain. The representative of the foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova called a ban on the broadcasting of the seven RT channels in Latvia outrageous and unauthorized step.
"an Act of political censorship"
The temporary Commission has stated that a ban on the broadcasting channels is an act of political censorship and looks like a single coordinated campaign against the Russian media.
Members of the Commission are convinced that the principles and norms of the OSCE and the Council of Europe in relation to the media should consistently be respected, regardless of political sympathies or antipathies of the governments of the participating countries.
The head of the Federation Council Committee on constitutional legislation Andrei Klishas told RIA Novosti that his Committee would support the call to impose sanctions against officials who violate the rights of Russian media.
