Moscow's retaliation; Deutsche Welle's operations in Russia banned

In response to the suspension of the German program Russia Today, the Russian Foreign Ministry ordered the closure of the Deutsche Welle office and a ban on the network's programs. The CEO of Deutsche Welle says that this extreme action will be pursued through the law.

A day after the German Media Regulatory Commission decided to suspend the broadcast of the German programs of the Russia Today network, the Russian Foreign Ministry also ordered the closure of Deutsche Welle's Moscow office.

According to the order, the work of the Deutsche Welle Moscow bureau will be prohibited and the journalistic licenses of its colleagues will be revoked. A letter to the bureau states that the Deutsche Welle studio will be closed at 9 a.m. on Friday, February 4.

This is while Deutsche Welle has had a license to broadcast the DW English and DW Deutsch television channels in Russia since 2005, and according to the current licenses of the Russian Media Agency, Deutsche Welle English is valid until 2025 and Deutsche Welle German is valid until 2027.

At the same time, it was announced that steps were being taken to designate Deutsche Welle as a “foreign entity.” The Russian Foreign Ministry statement said that sanctions were expected to be imposed on “representatives of the German government and public institutions involved in the shutdown of the “Russia Today” program.”

Russia's controversial Foreign Entity Law requires individuals and organizations that receive financial support from abroad to label any media or cultural production as "foreign." Kremlin critics see the law as a political tool to intimidate the opposition and independent civil society groups.

The controversial order by the Russian Foreign Ministry against Deutsche Welle was issued in response to the decision of the German Media Regulatory Commission to cut off the German programs of the Russia Today network. The division announced its launch in late November 2021, but the German media regulator, one of 14 federal bodies responsible for this area, announced that the programs were not licensed and ordered the satellite company Eutelsat 9-B to stop broadcasting the German version of Russia Today. The German government also called the decision appropriate and justified.

The Russian Foreign Ministry had previously said that the commission's action was a clear and hostile message, leaving no choice but to take retaliatory measures against German media outlets operating in Russia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has threatened sanctions against “state and public structures involved in restricting Russia Today’s television programs,” and the current move is Moscow’s “first step” in retaliation. The ministry added that it will respond “at the appropriate time.”

The state-run Russia Today network, RT, broadcasts internationally in six languages ​​and says its German-language programming helps foster diversity of opinion in Europe. But critics say it is a mouthpiece for the Kremlin, spreading disinformation and propaganda.

 “Incomprehensible and extreme”

Peter Limburg, CEO of Deutsche Welle, called the Russian authorities' approach a completely extreme and incomprehensible reaction and said: "We will officially protest against this absurd action and authoritarian behavior against the media. We will pursue the matter through legal channels."

Limburg stressed that DW's coverage of Russia will not be affected by these measures, but will instead become more intensive and extensive, even if DW's Moscow bureau is ultimately closed.

In response to this decision, the German Journalists' Association called on Vladimir Putin to immediately lift the ban on broadcasting Deutsche Welle programs in Russia and return the work permits of journalists working on these programs.

"There is no justification for this extreme censorship," said Frank Oberal, the association's secretary.

The German Journalists' Association also called on the German government to officially protest Moscow's action, saying: "The federal government is responsible for Deutsche Welle and its employees. Moscow must be informed of this immediately."

Source: DW