Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița commented on the decision of the Commission for Exceptional Situations (CSE), which suspended the broadcasting licenses of six TV stations: First in Moldova, RTR Moldova, Accent TV, NTV Moldova, TV6 and Orhei TV. According to a message published on the Head of Government’s Facebook page, these TV channels have covered “in a biased and manipulative way the events in our country but also those related to the war in Ukraine” and “have seriously and repeatedly violated the Audiovisual Services Code”.

“After almost 300 days of war in Ukraine, propaganda in the Republic of Moldova has not stopped, and even intensified. At a time when not only an energy war but also an information war is being waged against our country, we have a responsibility and even an obligation to protect our citizens and our country.

Today’s decision is aimed at securing the information space in the country, eliminating manipulation and propaganda, which are corrupt and particularly dangerous elements, especially in the difficult times we are going through”, reads Natalia Gavrilița’s message.

According to the CSE’s Order of 16 December 2022, the decision was taken “in order to protect the national information space and prevent the risk of disinformation through the spread of false information or attempts to manipulate public opinion, based on the list of natural and legal persons subject to international sanctions and available information on their control over certain media service providers, as well as the multiple findings in the monitoring reports of the Audiovisual Council on violations of the Audiovisual Media Services Code of the Republic of Moldova, including the application of sanctions for the lack of correct information in the coverage of national events and the war in Ukraine”.

Thus, the Commission for Exceptional Situations states that “the State Enterprise “Radiocommunications” and the distributors of audiovisual media services will stop broadcasting and distribution of audiovisual media services included in this provision”.

The provision shall enter into force upon issuance, the document approved by the CSE also states.

TV channels TV 6, Orhei TV and Primul in Moldova, which are close to fugitive MP Ilan Shor, came out with a reaction to the decision of the Commission for Exceptional Situations (CSE) to suspend their broadcasting licences during the state of emergency.

The three broadcasters published almost identical messages in which they say that “the SSC’s reasoning is totally unfounded” and they “appeal to the international community, the diplomatic corps accredited in the Republic of Moldova, which must give a fair assessment” of the SSC’s decision to suspend broadcasting licences.