DISINFO: Violation of freedom of speech in Central and Eastern Europe supervised by the US
SUMMARY
The authoritarian practices in the Baltic states and Poland become more and more obvious. No one is trying to pretend anymore that freedom of speech should be respected.
The repressions against the journalists in Latvia should not come as a surprise. It is not the first case of gross violation of freedom of speech in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly against the background of discussions about the rule of law in the EU.
Many believe that there is a group of countries of Central Europe which are under a strong influence of Washington and follow its political agenda. This block includes Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania.
The political influence of the US leads to an active role of American secret services in these countries. American curators influence local authorities to clear the information sphere from all alternative sources of information. Due to the geopolitical situation, the biggest part of these alternative sources of information is Russian media.
RESPONSE
This article repeats two recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives: one about the oppression of the freedom of speech in Central and Eastern Europe and another about the US presence in Europe.
The statement that the Baltic states and Poland manifest “authoritarian practices” in the area of freedom of speech is a manipulative one, especially in comparison with the situation in Russia. In the “Freedom of the press 2020” ranking (by Reporters Without Borders) Estonia is on 14th place, Latvia on 22nd place, Lithuania on 28th place, Romania on 48th place, Poland on 62nd place out of 180 countries. The region is not monolithic. Estonia belongs to the group of states where the situation is evaluated as “good”, the situation in Latvia and Lithuania is “fairly good”, Poland and Romania belong to “problematic” group of countries. Russia holds in this ranking 149th position, the situation of media freedom in the country described as “bad”.
In the “Freedom in the World” ranking (by Freedom House) Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania were evaluated as free countries. Russia belongs to the group of not free countries.
The narrative about the influence of the US in countries of Central and Eastern Europe is also recurring in pro-Kremlin disinformation. It portrays European countries as puppets or vassals of Washington. The Baltic states and Poland are most often presented as the US puppets (see examples here, here and here), but not only these countries. I.e., disinformation could portray Germany as a vassal of Washington too.
See similar examples of disinformation: Lithuania has transformed into a totalitarian society, where any alternative opinion is rejected; Russian media are being discriminated in Baltic states; US political uncertainty temporarily gives the Baltic states a larger degree of sovereignty; New American president will use Poland for the destabilisation of the post-Soviet countries.