VIENNA, December 23. /TASS/. OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) Teresa Ribeiro believes that the freedom of expression and media freedom should be taken into account when a decision about the broadcasting of a channel is being taken, the RFoM office told TASS on Thursday.
The RFoM office responded to TASS’ request to assess the German regulator’s steps to take RT DE off the air in Europe and to block the account of this German-language TV channel on YouTube.
"The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) wants to underline the importance for all stakeholders to take into account the freedom of expression, media freedom and access to information when deciding about the broadcasting of a channel, and to be transparent about the reasons for taking such a decision," the RFoM office said.
"When arguments arise, it should be up to an adequate and genuinely independent judiciary to decide on these arguments," the OSCE body stressed.
The RFoM office pointed to Ribeiro’s "communiqu· on the right of the media to freely collect, report and disseminate information, news and opinions, regardless of frontiers."
According to RT, the MABB media authority compelled the European satellite operator Eutelsat 9B to remove the new TV channel RT DE, which broadcasts from a studio in Moscow, from their platform. The channel’s press service called the move unlawful, adding with confidence that the ruling would be appealed in court. The MABB’s position is that most employees of the German-language service work in Berlin, so the content, which targets German viewers, should be under Germany’s jurisdiction. The RT DE management insists, citing the European Convention on Transfrontier Television, that the license obtained in Serbia safeguards its right to broadcast in 33 European countries.
It was reported on December 17 that the German media regulator had launched an investigation against RT on suspicion of violating Germany’s broadcasting rules. On December 16, the RT TV channel said that YouTube had blocked the account of RT’s new German-language channel on the day of its launch. The next day, Russia’s telecom watchdog demanded that Google lift restrictions against RT Deutsch on YouTube.