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The most typical provider of illegal television services is a middle-aged man who has already worked in a legal company providing such services, Vitalyjs Polovinskis, deputy head of the Economic Crimes Department of the State Police, told reporters on Tuesday.
In the current geopolitical situation, the police is doing everything possible to prevent the spread of Kremlin narratives in Latvia. Last year, the State Police conducted 1,058 checks of the legality of audiovisual content. In 28 cases, cases of administrative violations have been initiated and 13 criminal proceedings have been initiated, while five criminal proceedings have been transferred to criminal prosecution, Polovinskis said.
In the first three months of this year, 294 checks of the legality of audiovisual content have already been carried out, starting 16 administrative violation cases and four criminal proceedings. Two cases have been referred for criminal prosecution.
According to Polovinski, the results of the work are good, and it is hoped that the police will keep the pace and the results will be even better in the future.
Describing the people who are engaged in the provision of these illegal services, Polovinsky said that it is usually a 35-40-year-old man who has previous experience working in a company that provided Internet and television services. These maintainers have the ability to obtain equipment from Russia that provides access to illegal content. At the same time, these people provide customers with the ability to make a payment. Currently, however, payment is difficult, because it is difficult to pay bills “straight” from the EU.
At the same time, a new phenomenon has been observed, when illegal business operators provide the opportunity to connect to the product not only from Latvia, but also from other EU countries.
The purpose of the police is to combat the effects of propaganda in Latvia, namely those television channels that are on the list of prohibited channels and are subject to sanctions. Thanks to the joint work of the institutions, the strengthening of responsibility and informing the public, the demand for Russian channels has decreased, Polovinskis pointed out, and added that in some criminal trials, the circle of clients was only a few hundred.
When asked whether differences can be observed in the cross-section of Latvian regions, Polovinskis stated that it is undoubtedly technically easier to receive the signal in Latgale, which borders Russia and Belarus. For example, last year in the Riga region, where the population density is higher, 781 inspections were carried out, and in Latgale – 111. This year, 141 inspections were carried out in the Riga region this year, and 120 inspections in Latgale. “We cannot say that more Russian TV channels are watched in the Latgale region than elsewhere. The police operate throughout Latvia and we cannot single out a separate region,” said Polovinskis.
Polovinskis, however, reassured that, when fighting against illegal gambling, the purpose of the police is not to specifically walk around homes to find out what channels are being watched. The goal of law enforcement is the maintainers of rupal.
