OSCE Media Freedom Official Concerned by Latvia's Sputnik Website Ban

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic on Thursday expressed concern over shutting down the website of the Sputnik news agency and radio in Latvia.

VIENNA (Sputnik) – On Tuesday, Latvian authorities notified the agency, a subsidiary of International Information Agency Rossiya Segodnya, of suspending its dissemination within the.lv domain zone found in purported violation of EU regulation.

"I am concerned that the actions by the [Latvian] Ministry of Foreign Affairs might set a dangerous precedent in a take-down policy related to media websites in Latvia," Mijatovic was quoted as saying in a statement published on the OSCE website.

The OSCE added that Mijatovic sent a letter to Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics "asking for more information about the shutting down of the sputniknews.lv news portal."

Mijatovic added that she would advise against blocking of websites, especially if such actions were performed without judicial oversight.

Sputnik is a news agency and radio network with multimedia news hubs in dozens of countries. Sputnik broadcasts through its websites, analog and digital radio, mobile apps and social media. Sputnik newswires run around the clock in English, Arabic, Spanish and Chinese.