PARIS: The Kremlin vowed to further restrict Western media in Russia on Wednesday after the EU’s top court upheld European sanctions that took Moscow’s RT channel off-air around the continent.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg threw out an appeal from state-owned RT France against a broadcast ban which was introduced as part of EU sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
Finding that the channel “actively supported” Moscow’s destabilization of Ukraine and broadcast pro-war propaganda, the court concluded that the EU’s decision was legal and proportionate.
“In the light of those considerations, the general court dismisses the action in its entirety,” the judges ruled, referring to RT France’s bid to overturn the broadcast ban and restrictions on its website.
The channel immediately announced an appeal, while the Kremlin said it would take retaliatory measures.
“Of course, we will take similar measures of pressure on Western media that operate in our country,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.
“We will also not let them work in our country,” he said, describing the Kremlin’s reaction to the ban as “extremely negative.”
“Essentially, RT has been blocked and cannot operate in Europe,” Peskov said. “Europeans are trampling on their own ideals.”
Since Moscow’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russian lawmakers have passed draconian new laws restricting media freedom under which criticism of the war and occupation can lead to lengthy prison sentences.
Many foreign journalists have left Russia and a number of foreign media outlets suspended their operations in the country after authorities introduced prison terms of up to 15 years for spreading “fake news” about the Russian army.
The EU’s decision to ban RT as well as online Kremlin-funded news service Sputnik raised questions about freedom of expression in the 27-member bloc and formed part of RT France’s legal appeal.
But the ECJ judges concluded that the sanction was temporary — until July 2022 — and found that it was “appropriate and necessary to the aims pursued” given the “extraordinary context.”
“RT France actively supported... the policy of destabilization and aggression conducted by the Russian Federation toward Ukraine, which ultimately resulted in a large-scale military offensive,” the court’s statement said.
Secondly “RT France broadcast, in particular, information justifying the military aggression against Ukraine, capable of constituting a significant and direct threat to the Union’s public order and security,” it continued.
Evidence presented to the court by RT France was “not capable of demonstrating an overall balanced treatment by the latter of information concerning the ongoing war,” the judges concluded.
The channel has been consistently accused of parroting Russian state propaganda and has been blocked in most Western countries since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine.
Launched in 2005 as Russia Today, the channel had grown its reach through broadcasts and websites in several languages including English, French, Spanish, German and Arabic.
Russian anger after EU court upholds ban on RT
https://arab.news/wrj7v
Russian anger after EU court upholds ban on RT
- The European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg threw out an appeal from state-owned RT France against a broadcast ban
- The channel "actively supported" Moscow's destabilisation of Ukraine and broadcast pro-war propaganda
Israeli journalists warn of media crackdown as UK billionaire prepares Channel 13 sale
- The Union of Journalists in Israel has condemned the transaction as “an unlawful deal”
LONDON: Israeli journalists and media unions have voiced serious concern over a proposed sale of a major stake in Israel’s Channel 13, warning that the move could deal a devastating blow to independent journalism in the country amid a broader campaign to reshape the media landscape ahead of elections.
According to The Guardian, British billionaire Sir Leonard Blavatnik is preparing to sell a 15 percent stake in Channel 13, one of Israel’s few mainstream channels critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to telecom tycoon Patrick Drahi, a French-Israeli businessman who already owns media outlets perceived as sympathetic to the current government.
Journalists and free press advocates said the sale risked consolidating pro-government influence in a media environment already under pressure from financial sanctions, lawsuits, and regulatory threats.
The Union of Journalists in Israel has condemned the transaction as “an unlawful deal,” describing it as part of a broader “master plan to capture the media” ahead of the country’s scheduled elections.
Channel 13 has aired critical coverage of Netanyahu in recent years, including reporting on his corruption cases.
Drahi’s reported acquisition would make him a significant stakeholder at a time when Blavatnik is pulling back after years of financial losses, reported The Guardian.
Although the stake falls within the legal threshold for media ownership, critics argued that Drahi’s financial power as the only investor currently willing to inject funds would give him de facto control of editorial direction.
“While Patrick Drahi is only buying 15 percent, our fear is that by buying 15 percent, he gets 100 percent hold of the policy of the channel,” Anat Saragusti, a senior official at the Union of Journalists, told The Guardian. “It’s a lose-lose for the Israeli public, in terms of freedom of speech and diversity of opinions.”
A separate offer from a group of liberal Israeli tech entrepreneurs, reportedly valued at up to $120 million over three years, was also on the table, but ultimately rejected. A spokesperson for Blavatnik’s Access Industries insisted there was no political influence behind the deal and that Drahi’s bid was “the stronger, faster option” of the two.
“Any suggestion that the preferred offer has been selected for political reasons is entirely false,” the spokesperson said, adding that the transaction would allow Channel 13 to invest in high-quality content and digital innovation.
The Netanyahu government has come under growing scrutiny for actions seen as hostile to independent media, including imposing sanctions on the newspaper Haaretz and initiating defamation lawsuits against investigative reporters. The prime minister is also on trial for alleged efforts to trade regulatory favors for favorable press coverage, one of several corruption charges he faces.
“If Channel 13 falls, this would be the end of the free press in Israel,” Saragusti warned. “It’s the tipping point.”
