Ukraine's National Television and Radio Council has halted the broadcasting of the RTVi (Russian TeleVision International) Channel for six months for violations of Ukrainian legislation by screening television products popularizing or propagating the aggressor state's authorities or persons who are included in the list of individuals posing a threat to Ukraine's national security.
The Council adopted a corresponding decision by introducing changes to the list of foreign programs whose content meets the requirements of the European Convention on Transfrontier Television and Ukrainian legislation, the regulator's press service reported.
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"The National Council has temporarily suspended the retransmission of the RTVi TV channel in Ukraine for a period of six months for systematic violations of Ukrainian legislation. The relevant decision to amend the list of foreign programs whose content meets the requirements of the European Convention on Transfrontier Television and Ukrainian laws was passed by the regulator on September 6," it said.
Since RTVi is under British jurisdiction, the National Council will inform the respective regulator in that country about the decision.
Multiple violations of the current Ukrainian legislation were recorded when the Ukrainian regulator was monitoring the channel's broadcasts from February 2, 2017 to August 26, 2018.
"This concerns Article 15-1 of the Law of Ukraine on Cinematography, according to which the distribution and screening of films containing popularization or propaganda of the authorities of the aggressor state, as well as films produced by individuals and legal entities of the aggressor state are prohibited," the report says.
Moreover, the regulator recorded violations of Article 6 of the Law of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting, which bans broadcasts of audiovisual works with the participation of persons who are included in the list of individuals posing a threat to national security.
The Commission also points to infringements on Article 28 of the Law of Ukraine on Information under which calls to overthrow the constitutional order, violate the territorial integrity of Ukraine, propagate war, violence, cruelty, etc. are outlawed.
The regulator says in 2017 it repeatedly sent letters to the distributor of the RTVi television channel in Ukraine, the Sonar company, and the copyright owner of RTVi's foreign program, Brenrose Limited, informing them of the violations of the European Convention on Transfrontier Television and Ukrainian legislation.
However, the abovementioned violations did not stop.
UNIAN memo. RTVi, formerly NTV-International until 2002, is an international Russian-language channel broadcasting in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Georgia, the Baltic States, Germany, Israel, Britain, Spain, the United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries. Its audience is estimated at about 25 million people.
The channel was founded by businessman Vladimir Gusinsky.
