The Association of Dutch Journalists (NVJ), together with several rights protection organizations and Internet service providers, is filing a lawsuit at the Court of Justice of the European Union against the EU ban of RT and the Russian TV channel Sputnik, as in their opinion it violates the right of European citizens to freedom of information, the Dutch broadcaster NOS reported.
At the beginning of March, the EU suspended the broadcasting activities of the Russian state media company Sputnik and RT in the territory of the union, in response to the Russian military aggression against Ukraine. According to the union, the affected channels carry out disinformation and manipulation activities.
The lawsuit filed by those protesting against the media boycott to the EU court claims that the ban is "too broad, and it is wrong in principle that politicians can introduce censorship overnight".
"We are not fans of RT or Szputnyi, they all broadcast state propaganda. However, the fact that politicians forbid the dissemination of information raises questions about the rule of law," emphasized Thomas Bruning, secretary of the NVJ, in a statement to NOS.
Bruning added that the ban prevents people from accessing the information. "We don't think it's up to European government leaders to decide what can and can't be accessed online," he said.
According to Anco Scholte ter Horst, director of the Internet service provider Freedom Internet, as a service provider it is the duty to ensure neutrality and avoid interference with Internet content. "The boycott of RT and Szputnyik is the first time that the principle of net neutrality has been violated due to disinformation. This poses a threat to open and free access to information on the Internet," he pointed out.
MTI
Photo: euronews.com
