Margarita Simonyan ‘is a central figure of the Government propaganda,’ document says.
The European Union is set to sanction Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of the English-language broadcaster RT, for spreading government propaganda, according to a draft document seen by POLITICO.
Simonyan “is a central figure of the Government propaganda,” reads the document, dated February 22.
The document states that Simonyan “promoted a positive attitude to the annexation of Crimea and the actions of separatists in Donbas,” and supported actions and policies undermining the sovereignty of Ukraine.
The document lists more than 20 people and entities to be sanctioned by the EU as part of a package expected to be finalized later today.
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It was earlier reported that, Labour leader Keir Starmer says state-backed broadcaster is pumping out ‘propaganda’
Labour has called for a ban on the Russian state-backed broadcaster RT, accusing the channel of pumping out pro-Vladimir Putin “propaganda”.
Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, told MPs that the Russian president’s “campaign of misinformation should be tackled”, starting with moves to prevent RT from “broadcasting its propaganda around the world”.
The English-language channel is regulated by Ofcom, which said on Monday it would prioritise any complaints about any broadcast coverage of Ukraine “given the seriousness of the crisis”.
“All licensees must observe Ofcom’s rules, including due accuracy and due impartiality,” an Ofcom spokesperson said. “If broadcasters break those rules, we will not hesitate to step in.”
RT’s coverage of the situation in Ukraine has been overwhelmingly from a pro-Russian perspective, since Putin ordered his military to enter the Russian-controlled areas of Luhansk and Donetsk after a decision to recognise the self-proclaimed republics as independent territories.
News segments also discussed the US, UK and EU responses to the crisis and showed footage of Johnson warning of the possibility of war and bringing in sanctions. But on-the-ground reports were largely from the perspective of celebrations in the territories, with a strapline and headline news of “fireworks, Russian flags, Donbass cheers Russian recognition”, interviews with jubilant residents, and Russian citizens who have “selflessly opened their doors” to refugees.
The broadcaster also showcased a series of pro-Moscow and anti-Nato commentators on Tuesday, alongside a segment on the west’s “lies” about having previously promised not to expand Nato in the 1990s.
Ofcom looked at complaints against RT as recently as earlier this month and decided not to investigate. It also decided not to take any action over RT’s broadcast licence in the wake of the Salisbury poisoning.
At the time, it said state broadcasters “vary greatly in the extent to which they accept and conduct themselves according to UK and generally accepted international values” and which will “sometimes commit, or will have committed, acts which are contrary to these values”.
It added: “In our judgment, it would be inappropriate for Ofcom always to place decisive weight on such matters in determining whether state-funded broadcasters were fit and proper to hold broadcast licences, independently of their broadcasting record.
“If we did, many state-funded broadcasters [mostly those from states which may not share UK values] would be potentially not fit and proper. This would be a poorer outcome for UK audiences in light of our duties on plurality, diversity and freedom of expression.”
In a section on RT, a commentator, Afshin Rattansi, responded to Starmer’s call for RT to be banned by saying Britain “has a long history of free speech” and suggesting anyone who thought it was propaganda could switch off. “We are still broadcasting here at the moment in Britain … We should be hoping that NGOs for free speech – from [Reporters Without Borders] and Amnesty International – will be there to defend this channel against Sir Keir Starmer and the British Labour party who want to ban free speech.”
The presenter added that the channel’s mantra was to “question more” the mainstream narratives and asked whether western viewers would be getting only a one-sided perspective if RT was not broadcasting in their countries.
It was also reported in the early February that, The German broadcasting regulator has banned the transmission of the German-language channel of Russian state broadcaster RT, amid rising tensions between Moscow and the West.
The transmission of the channel “RT DE” was “prohibited because it does not have the necessary broadcasting licence”, the regulator’s authorisation and oversight commission said in a statement on Wednesday.
The broadcaster was blocked from Europe’s satellite network on December 22 at the request of German authorities, less than a week after going on air, but was still available over the internet and via a mobile app.
The Kremlin on Thursday criticised the German move, and the foreign ministry said reciprocal measures were imminent.
“The situation is absolutely obvious. A Russian media outlet, or rather an international media outlet, is banned from broadcasting in Germany,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“This is nothing but an infringement on freedom of speech,” he added.
His remarks came after the Russian foreign ministry said that it would announce retaliatory measures later on Thursday without providing any details.
The ministry has said the measures will affect German media accredited in Russia and internet platforms that have deleted the channel, an apparent reference to YouTube.
RT said it has headquarters in Moscow, and has pointed to a Serbian licence for cable and satellite transmission, which it says allows it to be broadcast in Germany.
However, the regulator said the channel’s operator, based in Berlin, does not have a “legitimate permit under European law”.
Russia Today
Launched in 2005 as “Russia Today”, state-funded RT has expanded with broadcasters and websites in languages including English, French, Spanish and Arabic.
It has been accused by Western countries of distributing disinformation and Kremlin-friendly propaganda.
It has generated controversy in many countries, including the United States, where it was required to register as a “foreign agent”, and in the UK, where authorities have threatened to revoke its broadcasting licence.
The channel has been banned in several countries, including the ex-Soviet republics of Lithuania and Latvia.
