MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. The German government continues its practice of cleaning its informational space in regards to RT DE, and leads Russia to the idea of reciprocal measures, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in her commentary Wednesday.
"By continuing the practice of cleaning up its informational space in the worst traditions of censorship, the German government deliberately leads us to the requirement of introducing reciprocal measures," the diplomat said, commenting on RT DE’s disconnection from satellite broadcasting.
Zakharova noted that the signal was jammed only one week after the Russian channel launched its satellite broadcast in accordance with its license, provided by Serbian authorities "in complete compliance with the European convention on cross-border television," signed by Germany, among other states.
"Therefore, we have every reason to view Berlin’s action as irrefutable proof of its original defining role in the organization of the years-long pressure on the Russian media and the persecution of its employees," she underscored.
According to Zakharova, German authorities have "completely confirmed their readiness to blatantly ignore the basic principles of a democratic society," and resort to direct violation of its obligations under international law, in order to rule out its citizens' access to alternative sources of information.
"We consider the practice of exerting forceful influence on a satellite communication operator in circumvention of the dispute resolution procedure, outlined in the abovementioned Convention," she continued. "Such examples of deliberate, politically motivated media segregation and blatant censorship completely devalue the mentoring rhetoric of German authorities on the human rights dossier, especially on the protection of the freedom of speech, freedom of access to information, and pluralism of opinions."
The diplomat also noted that the absence of a proper reaction to the aggression against Russian media from international human rights institutions, including the UN, Council of Europe, and OSCE structures "encourages Berlin’s unconscionable actions and further corrosion of the system of multilateral obligations in this area."
In mid-August, Luxembourg’s media regulator denied RT a broadcasting license in the German language. The regulator opined that a significant number of RT’s German-speaking divisions work in Berlin and therefore content for the German audience falls under German jurisdiction. According to RT, German media regulator MABB forced Eutelsat 9B satellite broadcasting operator to remove the German-speaking RT DE channel, broadcasting from its studio in Moscow. RT underscored that the regulator’s actions were illegal and expressed its hope that this decision will be changed in court proceedings.