, Chair of the Audiovisual Broadcasting Council of the Republic of Moldova

, says that the law will officially come into force next week, and propaganda will be sanctioned much more severely than before.

Media outlets that broadcast misinformation will pay fines, and the next step for violators will be deprivation of the right to advertise, according to IPN.

Currently, the decision of the Emergency Situations Commission bans political or military news and broadcasts from countries that have not ratified the Convention on Transfrontier Television, the list includes Russia and Belarus, the latter did not sign it.

With the entry into force of the law on information security, these media products will no longer be available on broadcast networks even after the state of emergency.

Liliana Vitsu says the war in Ukraine has forced the authorities to take much tougher measures to propagandize from abroad.

“Only the Code of Audiovisual Media Services was amended in the second reading, and there was the least criticism.

The concept of "misinformation" is being introduced, which provides for much tougher sanctions.

For those who do not produce local content, a new fine threshold has been set.

The Audiovisual Broadcasting Council has the prerogative to suspend the right to advertise.

In case of misinformation, we will have the right to suspend the license for up to 7 days, and this can happen during the election period, a very important period when we are witnessing a lot of misinformation, ”Liliana Vitsu explained.

According to the law on information security, 50% of foreign content shown on TV channels must come from the European Union, the United States and countries that have ratified the Convention on Transfrontier Television.

The pro-Russian parliamentary opposition describes the new provisions as an "institution of censorship."

In 2017, mainly in connection with Russian propaganda about the fighting in the Donbas, Moldova has already imposed restrictions on the broadcasting of foreign television channels on politics and war.

In 2020, the ban was lifted.

Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, has forced the Moldovan authorities to re-strengthen information security.

In addition, the propaganda of Russian TV channels has a great impact on the separatist region of Transnistria, which has existed in Moldova for 30 years.

In addition, shelling has already been recorded there, which forced the Security Council of Moldova to convene in an emergency with the participation of President

.

Earlier in Moldova, the Belarusian state channel Belarus 24 was available on satellite. In 2018, one of the operators - Orange Moldova excluded this channel from the list of those who have broadcasts on the platform.

Belarusian state television supports Russian aggression against neighboring Ukraine and conducts propaganda against Ukraine, the United States, the European Union and their allies.

Moldova has previously applied to join the EU and can officially become a member.