Ireland open to further action against Russian broadcasters, says Martin

Minister for Culture Catherine Martin will support further actions against Kremlin-lined broadcasters if deemed necessary, she has told her counterparts in Baltic countries.

In a letter to her counterparts in the Baltic states, sent on Friday evening, Ms Martin wrote that the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland will meet with other European regulators on Monday and is open to discussing "potential further action" beyond that agreed at a European level - targeting networks such as Russia Today and Sputnik. She said she would support further actions if they were deemed necessary.

In her letter she wrote that Ireland "condemns the actions of the Russian Federation and is making every effort through the mechanisms of the United Nations and the European Union to assist in bringing an end to this terror and conflict and to hold the Russian Federation accountable for its crimes".

The ministers of culture from the Baltic states wrote earlier this week to Ireland asking for the suspension of the free retransmission of Russian and Belarusian television programmes “inciting war and disseminating disinformation”.

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Since then, the EU has adopted a regulation targeting Russia’s “weaponisation of propaganda and disinformation” and prohibiting the free transmission of both Russia Today and Sputnik within the EU, Ms Martin wrote.

“The use of restrictive measure to prohibit the transmission and availability of media outlets contributing to Russian aggression has enabled a joint and consistent response across the Union.”

She told the Baltic ministers: "I note that the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual services are meeting on Monday 7 March to discuss these matters. The Irish regulator… will be available within that forum and bilaterally to engage with the media regulators of your jurisdictions to discuss potential further action which, if necessary, I will support."