Moldova intends to ban “Russian propaganda”
President of Moldova Maia Sandu declared the inadmissibility of “propaganda from Russia and other states” on Moldovan television channels.
She said this on TV Moldova, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“As I understand, we will soon have a new composition of the Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting, which has certain legal tools and which must prevent propaganda, deception and other violations. I really hope that this STR will be objective and effective,” Sandu said.
According to her, a program for reforming the security system, including in the field of cyberspace, is beginning to take effect in the republic.
“The main part of our activities depends on the work of the STR, after which we will decide whether the current legislation copes with the problem or whether changes are necessary in the field of security, we will analyze and draw conclusions,” the president clarified.
In mid-October, the chairman of the relevant parliamentary commission, Liliana Nicolaescu-Onofrei, representing the presidential Action and Solidarity party, sent a letter to the Audiovisual Council, in which she demanded an inspection of three television channels: Moldova 1, NTV and Primulin Moldova. The last two show Russian programs and news. The TV channels themselves called this an attack on independent media and citizens, whom the authorities thus want to limit access to objective and truthful information.
“Action and Solidarity” is developing a bill to ban advertising on Russian TV channels rebroadcast in Moldova.
On February 12, 2018, a law came into force in Moldova, according to which the broadcast of information, analytical, news and military programs of television channels belonging to countries that allegedly have not ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television is prohibited. Russian TV channels fell under this restriction.
In the same year, the Coordination Council for Television and Radio of the Republic of Moldova fined the RTR-Moldova TV channel for broadcasting the Victory Parade in Moscow on May 9 by 85 thousand lei (about $5 thousand).
At the end of December 2020, the parliamentary majority of the previous convocation, formed by the Socialist Party, managed to pass a bill amending the Code of Audiovisual Services. As a result, Russian television programs, including news ones, were able to return to the media space of the republic.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.