Last autumn, the Latvian television program Aizliegtais paņēmiens reported that Russian TV channels, including the sports channel Match TV, which is currently completely banned in Latvia — like many other Russian channels — are available to inmates in Riga Central Prison. After the broadcast, the prison changed its television service provider, LSM+ reports.
One of the topics regarding prison life was also what television programs are available to inmates, and Aizliegtais paņēmiens reported that, for example, in Riga Central Prison, one of the widely viewed channels is the Russian channel Match, which covers several separate sports channels, one of which shows football matches from various Russian leagues all day long.
Football and football — and perhaps this would have gone unnoticed, however, these channels occasionally broadcast news about the events of the day. And if the news is from Russia — then, of course, it is in the sauce of Russian propaganda, and in this context, the program received a message from one inmate: "Ask them to turn on and show what television they are watching — Match TV, where Russian propaganda runs throughout the day."
A prison staff member then said that everything is visible, including propaganda — Russia's successes on the front and the Russian state's viewpoint on everything.
Although the use of phones in prison cells is prohibited, Aizliegtais paņēmiens also obtained evidence — on one of the channels available in prison, the group Very cool people appears in Rīta Panorāmā, and on another, Russian hockey players perform.
After the broadcast, only a few TV channels remained in the Central Prison — all in Latvian.
Shortly after the broadcast, Aizliegtais paņēmiens received messages: "After your broadcast this morning, there are only 4 channels left in the Central Prison. All seem to be in Latvian, as far as I understood.
Even the animal channels have been removed. There was Animal Planet or something similar, it is no longer there."
Why suddenly so? From an episode shown last year, Aizliegtais paņēmiens found out that the entrepreneur — the company Telekom Serviss, which allegedly provides television services to the prison, does not have the right to do so at all; more precisely — it does not have the right to broadcast any channels in Latvia.
The chairman of the National Council for Electronic Media (NEPLP) Ivars Aboliņš said:
"We have established that this service provider was not issued a permit for retransmission. In this regard, we have reasonable doubts that this service is provided legally. Given that any official who receives information that some illegal actions may have been committed must respond, we have contacted the police."
The Russian channel Match TV is currently completely banned in Latvia — just like many other Russian channels.
Currently, the State Police has initiated an internal investigation. However, does the management of Riga Central Prison not know what is happening and what inmates are watching on television? And who ultimately provides this?
The Prison Administration did not provide any comments.
