Russian TV channel taken off the air in Lithuania
The Lithuanian Radio and Television Commission (RTCL) decided on Wednesday, November 17th, to stop the rebroadcast of the Russian TV channel RTR Planeta for three months in response to the incitement to war, strife and ethnic hatred. This sanction was applied by RTCL after violations were recorded for the third time this year, Delfi reports. This decision will become effective as of Monday, November 21st, and will be enforced until the 21st of February.
The last violation was recorded by the Commission during the program Duel with Vladimir Solovyov, which was broadcast on October 6th, and featured the leader of LDPR, Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
"Our response - to reassure those who are planning an attack on our country, and there are such plans, written, signed, stamped, and verbally announced by all US Presidents. Personally, I am not the President of our country, but I tell you, well, not you [personally] but if a missile defense system is installed in Romania, then nothing will be left in Romania as well. And in the Czech Republic, and Poland, and the Baltic States, if American tanks approach our borders, they will not return, they will be burned with the crews," Zhirinovsky said during the program.
The Commission assessed this statement as an incitement to war, ethnic hatred, and a call for violence and physical conflict with the United States, Romania, the Czech Republic, Poland and the Baltic States. It is the opinion of the Commission that the program was also spreading misinformation, promoting strife and hatred between peoples, as the audience was being convinced that only Russia is right and represented the situation only as favorable to Russia. In October, it was reported that Estonia has also proposed to ban the Russian TV channels.