Guest house "Arkādija" owner Marija Petaško knows the list of banned TV channels, but is more concerned about the quality of the signal. She and guests can watch Latvian Television only on the Internet. The house is located in the border zone on the bank of the Daugava near the Latvian-Belarusian border. "Because we've got those hills somewhere, that river, well, there's no [signal]. We are in the border area though, we also want to hear more about what's going on here," Petaško said.
There is a cafe next to the police station in Krāslava. Again, no violations were found by the State Police. More often, police officers detect illegal television while performing other service duties, Lieutenant Colonel Ivars Kravcevičs said: "There are cases where the residents themselves are reporting to us. At the same time, we also survey private individuals sometimes who are closer to the border."
Searches have just been carried out in Nīcgale in the municipality of Augšdaugava. Criminal proceedings have been initiated in accordance with Section 208 of the Criminal Law regarding prohibited entrepreneurship. Unlicensed television services were provided for a fee to the public. "There, a man born in 1975 engaged in illicit television distribution, thus providing 181 customers with illicit television," Kravcevičs explained.
A similar case recently occurred in Daugavpils.
These offenses are punishable by criminal liability and imprisonment for up to three years. People using illicit television can face administrative penalties of up to €700.
State police remind the public that all propaganda channels of the Russian Federation are currently banned.
