Pressure is growing on Eutelsat to finally stop the rebroadcasting of Russian TV channels.
It’s now nine months since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, and in that time such channels, most notably Russia Today (RT), have all but disappeared from screens across most of Europe. However, Eutelsat, claiming to be committed to neutrality, continues to distribute those carried by the DTH platforms Tricolor and NTV-Plus within Russia itself.
It also steadfastly refuses to stop doing so despite widespread criticism from many quarters, ranging from the European Union and national governments to international organisations and campaigning bodies.
Earlier this week, a representative of the Embassy of Ukraine in France handed Eutelsat’s CEO Eva Berneke a letter from the Ukrainian regulator National Council. In it, the latter strongly criticised Russian propaganda and called on Eutelsat to stop distributing Tricolor and NTV-Plus on its satellites. Furthermore, it threatened to initiate sanctions on Eutelsat, as well as block any of its activities in Ukraine and – in the future – the European continent as a whole.
Meanwhile, Reporters without Borders (RSF) has just filed a lawsuit in France against the regulator Arcom for failing to stop Eutelsat distributing the Russian channels Rossiya 1, Perviy Kanal and NTV. It initially requested the regulator to act two months ago on the grounds that as the channels are distributed by a French TV satellite operator they come under French jurisdiction, underpinned by the country’s 1986 Broadcast Law.
Arcom nevertheless argued that there was no legal basis for blocking the channels as they are broadcast by several satellites, not just those of Eutelsat.
On a European level, just days ago 39 members of the European Parliament wrote to the High Representative Josep Borrell asking for the suspension of broadcasting of Russian channels by European satellites.
Given all these recent developments, it may now only be a matter of time before this situation is finally resolved. It is proving to be an embarrassment to France and all it would probably take would be for the government to act.
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