Russian Embassy Firmly Condemns Latvia's Ban On Rebroadcasting Of RTR-Planeta Channel

RIGA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th February, 2021) The Russian Embassy in Latvia has slammed the Baltic country's ban on the rebroadcasting of the RTR-Planeta (Russia-RTR) channel in Latvia as a "dictatorship."

On Monday, Latvia's media watchdog barred the rebroadcasting of the Russian channel in the republic for a year. Earlier, Latvian cable operator Tet announced that it would stop rebroadcasting the largest Russian tv channels ” PBK (rebroadcaster of Channel One in the Baltic countries), NTV Mir, Ren TV Baltiya, Kinokomediya and Kinomix.

"In the best traditions of the dictatorship, the National Electronic Mass Media Council [of Latvia] decided to ban the rebroadcasting of the Russia-RTR TV channel in Latvia from February 15.

Violation of freedom of speech? Not only. Seems that the Latvian TV channels cannot face competition in the free market, even in their own information space," the embassy wrote on Facebook.

The authorities of the Baltic countries have repeatedly obstructed the work of the Russian media. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced clear signs of a coordinated line of these states. Cases of harassment of the media in the Baltic states "clearly demonstrate what demagogic statements about the adherence of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn to the principles of democracy and freedom of speech are worth in practice," the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.