Ban on TV Channels Rises New Light on Lack of Free Speech in Russia.

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Authorities in Moldova suspended the broadcast licenses of six television channels as the channels face accusations of spreading false information, faulty coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine and trying to mold public opinion. After the accusations, six television channels had been suspended by Moldova’s Commission for Exceptional Situations which was established after Russia invaded Ukraine. According to Al Jazeera, the channels that would be revoked include First in Moldova, RTR Moldova, NTV Moldova, and TV6, which regularly re-transmit programs from Russian TV channels that on Friday were banned by the European Council as part of a set of new sanctions against Russia.

Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, says that they “consider that this ban is an unprecedented act of political censorship, an abuse of the principle of media pluralism and a flagrant violation of the right to free access to information.” Zakharova adds that this action is a violation of the rights of national minorities as it would limit the access that people may have to news. However, the Russian news channels are heavily regulated by the government, and some of these now-suspended channels are owned by people close to Ilan Shor, a fugitive Moldovan businessman who leads the Russia-friendly Shor Party. The party recently organized large protests in the capital against the pro-Western government. 

Although the suspension of the news channels strives to reduce the misinformation spread by the Russian government, it seems that it may make more harm than good. Russia per se limits the information that its citizen receives, so banning the channels will restrict even further the information that people receive. The conflict that arises is from the type of information that the news channel spread, but it has to be taken into account that most if not all channels are in control of the government.

According to npr.org President Vladimir Putin previously signed laws criminalizing reporting that contradicts the government’s version of events. This law brings serious penalties to anyone who may try to spread information that differs from the official version of the government, and is not only monetary fines but in the most extreme cases, imprisonment, up to 15 years in jail. Is not a secret to many that there’s been pressure against independent media in Russia, but nearly all remaining independent Russian media outlets were either blocked or shut down or chose to suspend operations after the government accused them of intentionally spreading disinformation about what the Kremlin calls its special military operation in Ukraine, which the new law now makes illegal. Even independent voices that were still around, such as the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, whose editor received the Nobel Peace Prize, had to delete archives of articles that might violate the law to protect their journalists. 

As the Russian government complains about the sanctions put by the European countries, access to almost if not all independent outlets are limited. This means that if television was still the main source for most Russians, they would be inclined to at least hear the Government’s message – and possibly believe it. In any case, the conflict that arises just shines a light on the already complicated situation of trying to access current and truthful information in Russia. 

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