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On 24 April 2014, the Saeima (the Latvian Parliament) has adopted amendments to the Electronic Media Law. The amendments clarify the criteria for the status of national electronic mass media, modify the conditions on which a broadcasting permit may be revoked, extend the period for storing the records of broadcasts and provide for other minor changes. The amendments introduce a rule that an electronic mass medium will be considered as national, if it reaches at least 60% of inhabitants of Latvia or if it reaches the largest portion of the territory of Latvia. Previously only the territorial criterion...

The Nacionālā elektronisko plašsaziņas līdzekļu padome (National Electronic Mass Media Council), the national regulatory authority, has been recently exploring legal options for limiting retransmission of certain television broadcasts, which might be contrary to Latvian and EU law. Within the context of the Ukraine and Crimea crisis, the Council has received numerous complaints that several Russian language television channels contain broadcasts, which allegedly promote war and military conflict, as well as include incitement to hatred and destruction of the territorial unity of countries. Also,...

On 21 November 2013, Saeima (Latvian Parliament) adopted changes to the Electronic Media Law. The main reason for the changes was the fact that the two major Latvian commercial television stations LNT and TV3 (both owned by MTG group) had decided to leave free-to-air broadcasting as of 1 January 2014 and to be henceforth available via paid television only. In turn, this meant that in the primary terrestrial television distribution network (first multiplex) vacant channel slots would open. It was planned that the National Electronic Media Council (media regulating body - hereinafter Council) should...

On 4 October 2013, the Nacionālā elektronisko plašsaziņas līdzekļu padome (NEPLP - National Electronic Mass Media Council), the Latvian media regulator, published its proposals for amendments to the Latvian Electronic Media Act (EMA). The NEPLP prepared the amendments within an internal working group established to implement the “National Strategy for the development of the electronic media within the years 2012-2017”. As an executive body, NEPLP does not have legislative initiative rights. Hence, NEPLP submitted its proposal to the responsible Commission of Human Rights and Social Affairs of Saeima...

Once again the European Court of Human Rights has found a breach of Article 10 of the Convention in a case of protection of journalistic sources. The Court is of the opinion that the Latvian investigating authorities failed to adequately protect the sources of a journalist of the national television broadcaster Latvijas televīzija (LTV), Ms Nagla. The journalist’s home was searched and data storage devices were seized following a broadcast she had aired informing the public of an information leak from the State Revenue Service (Valsts ieņēmumu dienests - VID) database. Almost three months...