Germany: Russia's broadcaster RT DE launches lawsuit in Berlin to overturn decision on ban

Russia's state-controlled international TV network RT DE has launched a lawsuit in Berlin, requesting that a decision by Germany's regulator to ban the channel be overturned. The German media regulator (Medienanstalt Berlin-Brandenburg) MABB had already issued an official ban on RT DE broadcasts in Germany, stating that the channel's organisers lacked the appropriate authority. All of RT DE's operations in Germany have been shut off, including the internet, mobile apps, smart TV apps, and satellites.

"MABB claims that RT DE Productions is responsible for broadcasting the RT DE channel, ignoring the fact that the channel's broadcasts are fulfilled by ANO [Autonomous Non-Commercial Organisation] TV-Novosti from Moscow," RT DE Productions remarked in an official statement.

The statement further stated that MABB's speculations are based on a misunderstanding of reality. It also added that RT DE Productions serves ANO TV-Novosti purely as a content producer and that the RT DE Productions GmbH is not responsible for RT DE programming in any way. Moreover, the RT DE expect the Berlin Administrative Court to overturn MABB's erroneous decision, according to the statement.

Last week, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated, "The situation is absolutely obvious. Russian media agencies, rather international media, are banned from broadcasting in Germany. We can only regret this."

Russia banned Deutsche Welle in retaliation

Last week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova indicated that Moscow will announce retaliatory actions against German news organisations. Following that, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Deutsche Welle would be shut down in Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed in a statement on February 3 that all workers at DW's Russian bureau had their accreditation revoked, and that the media outlet's broadcasts on Russian soil had been halted. It went on to say that this was the initial stage of actions against the German firm, with the next steps to be publicised in a timely manner.

According to the statement, steps would be taken to begin the process of officially labelling DW as a foreign agency and restrict German officials and others engaged in the decision to ban RT's programming in Germany from entering Russia. The events came after RT DE was denied a broadcasting licence in Luxembourg in August 2021, despite gaining a recommendation from German authorities. YouTube terminated two RT DE channels without a possibility of appeal in September for claimed community standards infractions.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP