Moldovan President Signs Law Banning Russian News - Media Authority

CHISINAU (Sputnik) - Moldovan President Maia Sandu has signed a law banning broadcast of news programs made in Russia, which will go into effect next week, the chairwoman of Moldova's Audiovisual Council, Liliana Vitu, said on Sunday.

"The president signed the law. It will likely be published in the Official Gazette next Friday and go into effect. It codifies the concept of disinformation, which entails much tougher sanctions. If a company is proven implicated, it will lose licence for seven years," Vitu said on air of the Rlive broadcaster.

The Ukraine crisis was what prompted the Moldovan authorities to seek more information security, but most of disinformation happens in Moldova during election periods, she said.

On 2 June, the Moldovan parliament approved in the final reading a law on information security. A similar legislation was adopted in 2017 to fight "foreign propaganda," but this time the law specifically bans Russian-made news shows and analytical programs, as well as military movies. The media propaganda law was repealed in December 2020 at the initiative of socialist lawmakers.

Moldova's Commission for Emergency Situations has also banned political and military news from countries which have not ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television, including Russia.