The Latvian Association of Journalists issued a statement regarding the situation with the cancellation of the license of the Dozhd TV channel, where it called this decision "disproportionate to the violations committed."
“Rain made a serious mistake, which comes from a misunderstanding that Latvia is unequivocally on the side of Ukraine and that any calls to support those mobilized into the Russian army are unacceptable and unacceptable here. But by taking away the license from the channel, we are driving it back to the Russian world, defined by the Kremlin,” the statement says.
According to journalists, a more acceptable way out would be to allow Dozhd to continue operating with a Latvian license, but at the same time, "keep a close eye on what is broadcast on the air."
Journalists note that they have no doubt that Dozhd violated the terms of the license. “At the same time, the Latvian society is not so unfair as to start believing that Crimea belongs to Russia because of the map seen on Dozhd or that the aggressor’s army needs help,” the authors write.
Dozhd has no experience in Latvia and "has not developed an understanding of public opinion and its significance in a democratic society," the journalists say. Therefore, the Latvian authorities had to "help the TV channel understand the principles of Latvian and European values, media independence, rights and obligations."
Dozhd's license was revoked on 6 December. This happened after the presenter Alexei Korostelev uttered a phrase on the air about the supply of Russian mobilized, for which he was fired . According to Ivars Abolins, the head of the National Electronic Media Council of Latvia, the decision was made "in connection with the threat to national security."
At the same time, during the Euromaidan, the official himself wrote on Twitter posts that Latvia should sponsor Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych (he opposed the country's European integration), because Ukraine has no place in the European Union. He also called Putin's speech to the Federation Council of the Russian Federation on the day of the annexation of Crimea on March 18, 2014, excellent.
According to him, he regrets his old statements, and they were based "on the information available at the time."
