MOSCOW, Dec 2 Head of the Latvian National Media Council Ivars Abolins said that the Dozhd* TV channel operating in the country was fined 10,000 euros for showing a map showing Crimea as part of the Russian Federation, according to him, after the next violation, the TV channel's license in the country will be cancelled.
«The National Media Council imposed a fine of 10,000 euros on the Dozhd TV channel* for showing a map where … Crimea is marked as Russian territory, and for calling the Russian army «our army,» wrote Abolins on Twitter.
He stressed that this is the second «serious violation» of the TV channel in recent months.
«For three serious violations, the National Media Council can revoke the TV channel's broadcasting license,» said Abolins.
Crimea became a Russian region in March 2014 following a referendum following a coup in Ukraine. In the referendum, 96.77% of voters in Crimea and 95.6% in Sevastopol voted for joining Russia. Ukraine still considers Crimea its temporarily occupied territory, many Western countries support Kyiv on this issue. For its part, the Russian leadership has repeatedly stated that the inhabitants of Crimea voted for democratic reunification with Russia, in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the issue of Crimea is «finally closed.»
* Media acting as a foreign agent