German judges have in one expedited procedure provisionally the Distribution of the German language program of the Russian state medium RT prohibited. “Following an urgent decision by the Berlin Administrative Court, the ‘RT DE’ program may no longer be organized or distributed for the time being,” the court announced. The judges rejected an urgent application by RT DE Productions GmbH, and the actual lawsuit has not yet been decided. At the beginning of February, German media regulators issued a broadcast ban on the state medium’s German-language live TV program, which had been broadcast since mid-December, due to a lack of a broadcasting license. A license is basically a prerequisite for offering a radio program in this country. RT DE filed a lawsuit against the broadcasting ban with the court and later also an urgent application, which has now been decided. According to the court, an appeal can be lodged against the decision.
Meanwhile, the UK communications regulator Ofcom, RT dislicensed. Ofcom stated that it did not consider RT’s licensee, ANO TV Novosti, “suitable and appropriate to hold a UK broadcasting licence”. According to Ofcom, Friday’s decision followed 29 ongoing inquiries into the impartiality of RT’s coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “We have concluded that we are not convinced that RT can be a responsible broadcaster under the current circumstances. Ofcom is therefore revoking RT’s broadcasting license with immediate effect,” the statement said.