Baltic States – CIS, Latvia, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Russia

The Public Consultative Council issued the statement following an emergency meeting today, as the Electronic Mass Media Council's Information Center head Sanita Blomniece informed the Nozare.lv business portal.

"The Public Consultative Council believes that several television channels controlled by the Russian government are disseminating tendentious, grossly misleading information hostile to Latvia, which should be viewed as a purposeful and aggressive information campaign in Latvia," says the statement.

The Public Consultative Council is urging the Latvian authorities to take prompt action in order to halt such activities that are hostile to the national interests of Latvia.

The council also wants the government to allot extra funds this year for the consolidation of society.

Previously the Electronic Mass Media Council turned to television and radio regulators in Sweden and Great Britain inquiring about the TV channels "Rossiya RTR" and "NTV-Mir" that the two regulators are in charge of and that have their programs aired in Latvia, as well as requested recordings of news programs aired by "Pervy Baltiyski kanal" in Latvia this past January and February.

All three petitions deal with the Russian-language televisions' news stories about the recent events in Ukraine and whether they comply with the relevant laws of the European Union. According to the Latvian Electronic Mass Media Law, the mass media may not disseminate misleading information, be involved in kindling ethnic hatred, or advocate military conflicts or war.