Peskov called the revocation of the license of Dozhd in Latvia a confirmation of the illusory nature of Western freedom of speech

Press Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov commented on the decision of the Latvian authorities cancel the license of the Dozhd TV channel (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation) for broadcasting in the republic. According to him, this precedent refutes the assertions that in Western countries the situation with freedom of speech is better than in Russia.

“All the time it seems to someone that somewhere is better than at home, and all the time it seems to someone that there is freedom somewhere, but not freedom at home. This is one of the clearest examples that demonstrates the fallacy of such illusions,” the spokesman said.

The decision to revoke the broadcasting license from Dozhd was made by the National Council for Electronic Media of the country, guided by considerations of “state security and public order.” On March 1, Dozhd was also blocked in Russia by decision of Roskomnadzor – the Prosecutor General’s Office considered the continued operation of Dozhd in the country a threat to the constitutional order of the Russian Federation.

Since receiving the license to broadcast in Latvia on June 6 this year, Dozhd’s management has repeatedly faced criticism from Latvian political and public figures. On December 1, on the air of the TV channel, its host Alexei Korostelev said the following phrase: “We hope that we were able to help many military personnel, for example, with equipment and with simply basic amenities at the front.” The Latvian authorities regarded it as a call for help to the Russian military and initiated proceedings, Mr. Korostelev was fired from Dozhd.

According to the American think tank freedom house, despite the fact that Latvia is classified as a completely free state and a “consolidated democracy”, there are certain problems with the functioning of the institution of freedom of the media. The 2021 FH report mentions precedents of a broadcast ban for a number of Russian TV channels in Latvia, as well as a complex “media literacy gap”.

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Andrey Sapozhnikov