The Verkhovna Rada adopted a law toughening punishment for TV channels for showing Putin
Today, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law that allowed the National Council on TV and Radio Broadcasting to fine TV channels without warning for broadcasting content from the “aggressor country”, calls for changing the constitutional system of Ukraine, starting a war, etc.
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Verkhovna Rada deputy Yuriy Pavlenko from the Opposition Bloc believes that the new law can be used by the government, which is losing popularity, to further strengthen censorship.
“This law (if signed by the president) can be used to persecute and put pressure against any channel. There are several provisions that are not clearly defined. For example, it is not defined what “calls for the overthrow of the regime” are, what an “aggressor country” is, etc. Who will determine this? On what basis will the National Council impose fines?” – the deputy said on Shuster Live.
“If the channel does not agree, it sues. Specific example. The Republic of Moldova, our neighbor. The presidential elections are taking place there. The pro-Russian candidate won the first round and has a chance to win the second. And why? Because according to public opinion polls in Moldova, the most popular foreign politician is Vladimir Putin. Because all providers there have Russian TV channels, and people are influenced by Russian propaganda,” Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexey Goncharenko from the Poroshenko Bloc explained the importance of the new law.
His colleague, deputy Igor Dobrodomov, said that to this day Ukrainian providers “have sneezed at all the bans that we have, and continue to broadcast Russian TV channels on our territories, which are overly sensitive to everything separatist.”
The Verkhovna Rada has passed a law toughening penalties for TV channels showing Putin.