Latvian authorities banned 16 more Russian-language channels

"In order to protect the Latvian information space, NEPLP will intensively check all programs in the register of relayed programs and, if it detects similar cases, will act accordingly", - the head of the council Ivars Abolins wrote on Twitter.

Also banned were Karusel International, NTV Serial, NTV Style, NTV Pravo, Kinomiks, Our New Kino, Native Kino, Indian Kino, Kinokomedy, Kinoseriya, "KVN TV", "Kitchen TV", "Box TV" and HD Life.

The Latvian law on electronic media states that in order to rebroadcast a program, a representative of the owner of the media or representatives of an organization must apply to NELP to include the program in the list of rebroadcast in the country. This application is accompanied by documents confirming the right of the representative or owner to distribute the specified program (copy of the license agreement, power of attorney for distribution, etc.). Such information, indicated in the NEPLP, was not received from these 16 channels.

Recall that the retransmission of the Russia-RTR TV channel in Latvia has been suspended for a year. The decision was made the day before. The National Council on Electronic Mass Media explained that they saw “incitement to hatred” in the 60 minutes program. On February 1, the Latvian cable operator stopped rebroadcasting Russian PBK (Channel One in the Baltic States), NTV Mir, Ren TV Baltiya, Kinokomedia and Kinomix. Instead, viewers were offered others that could be added to the package.

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova called the ban on Russian-language channels in Latvia a political demarche. As for the "60 minutes" program, Zakharova said, as in other similar programs, sharp rhetoric is an integral element.

It's worth reminding that in 2019, Latvian deputies have already proposed to make paid broadcasting of Russian channels in the country. Earlier in Latvia, teaching in Russian was banned even in private schools - the Latvian Constitutional Court ruled that restrictions on teaching in the languages of minorities in private schools comply with the constitution of the republic.