Sanctioned Again for the Violation of the ‘Anti-propaganda’ Law – RTR Moldova Is to Pay a Fine of MDL 85,000 for Broadcasting Moscow Victory Day Parade

During its meeting held on 8 June, the Broadcasting Coordination Council (BCC) fined RTR Moldova TV channel with MDL 85,000 for broadcasting Moscow Victory Day Parade. In their turn, RTR Moldova representatives claim that the TV channel did not violate the legislation, since it did not take over the program itself, and the broadcasting of the Victory Day Parade took place using the RTR Moldova logo.

During the monitoring, BCC found that RTR Moldova has committed a new violation by broadcasting Moscow Victory Day Parade held on 9 May. BCC members found that ‘Anti-propaganda’ Law had been violated and agreed that the broadcaster had no right to rebroadcast military videos. In February this year, BCC fined RTR Moldova with MDL 50,000 for broadcasting the news of the Russian TV channel, Rossia 1, at the international news category.

Attending the meeting, RTR Moldova lawyer recalled that the broadcaster challenged BCC February decision in court and that BCC members should take this into consideration while setting the fine. He also disagreed on the new sanction: ‘I cannot violate this article because it allows me certain things and doesn’t forbid other things’, RTR Moldova representative mentioned.  
BCC Chairperson, Dragos Vicol, replied that this audiovisual product presented high-end military equipment from the Russian Federation, which is forbidden by legislation.

Note that BCC committed to monitor how broadcasters are implementing Article 9(21) of the Broadcasting Code. The Article states: ‘In order to ensure the informational security of the state, the broadcasters and services distributors may broadcast television and radio programs with informative, analytical-informative, military, and political content only if produced in the EU Member States, the USA, Canada, as well as in the countries which have ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television’.

The Russian Federation did not ratify this Convention.
Recently, the Constitutional Court (CC) rejected the notification of the Moldovan President, Igor Dodon, on declaring the ‘Anti-propaganda’ Law unconstitutional, and decided that these amendments to the Broadcasting Code are constitutional.