RT France challenges EU broadcast ban

The logo of RT France, formerly Russia Today.

AFP - LIONEL BONAVENTURE

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Before the Court of Justice of the European Union, the lawyers of RT France (formerly Russia Today) challenged the ban on broadcasting imposed on the channel by a decision of the European Council.

According to them, only ARCOM (ex-CSA) would have the authority to do so.

The judges will render their decision in several months.

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With our correspondent in Brussels

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The idea of ​​banning the broadcasting of all RT channels and the Sputnik news agency appeared quite consensual in the intentions of European leaders as soon as the Russian offensive.

But it took until

.

And this deadline is not political, but legal.

Europeans have been irritated in the past to see EU sanctions rejected by the Court of Justice.

They now take a luxury of legal precautions to design the best-crafted sanctions they can. 

Luxembourg judges could therefore in any event consider that the legal basis used to prohibit the broadcasting of RT France and the other channels is valid.

The question therefore shifts to another level and judges could find themselves entrusted with the responsibility of saying where freedom of expression ends in the European Union.

According to the channel's lawyer, the ban constitutes a form of censorship, and according to EU Council lawyers, it protects public order.

The fact that the channel relayed the official rhetoric of the Kremlin makes it a tool of propaganda, propaganda intended in this case to support the armed aggression against Ukraine and the Court of Justice of the EU will have to decide whether this justifies its ban.

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