Latvia’s media council is considering a fine against Russia’s First Baltic Channel for the broadcast of a programme entitled Man and Law. Local media reports that the head of the council said the programme may have violated the country’s media law on objective coverage, a charge that could carry a fine of 1.5m LAT.

In neighboring Lithuania, a unanimous vote by the national radio and TV commission placed a three- month ban on Russian and Belorus programmes broadcast on Latvian based PBK TV. A Vilnius regional court upheld the ban, suspending broadcasts of the Russian language channel. Lithuanians objected to a programme that negatively portrayed citizens in 1991 fight against Soviet troop who attempted to overtake the national TV tower and bring down the Lithuanian government.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), with members from 57 European countries, objected to the decision on the grounds of media freedom, but Lithuanian authorities countered that the programme in effect lied about the events which resulted in the deaths of 17 civilians.

In the Czech Republic, the City of Prague is demanding an apology and explanation from National Geographic Channel for a faked documentary about corruption in Prague, stating that it has hurt the reputation of the city. The programme hired actors to depict drug dealers, prostitutes, and swindling taxi drivers, portraying the staged scenes as documentary footage.