YouTube Blocks Channel of Serbian Director Emir Kusturica
2 sources · Latvia
Who reported this
- Meduza
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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YouTube has blocked the channel My Life (Moj život), which was run by Serbian film director Emir Kusturica in collaboration with the Russian state news agency Sputnik. The channel featured 243 videos including music, performances, and materials from Kusturica's new film Churuzhanka. It had approximately 30,000 subscribers. According to the Serbian service of Sputnik, neither the agency nor Kusturica received prior warning or notification regarding the block, and YouTube has not publicly commented on the decision.
Kusturica is a two time winner of the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or who has expressed support for Vladimir Putin, the annexation of Crimea, and the invasion of Ukraine. He has also spoken against Serbia imposing sanctions on Russia. Sputnik is part of the state media group Russia Today and is under sanctions in several countries.
Both reports frame the event within the context of YouTube's broader efforts to remove Russian state media and propaganda. One source notes that YouTube removes channels of celebrities under Western sanctions, while the other mentions the recent removal of channels belonging to the far right Russian Community.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- Outlets of this lean framed the block as part of a systemic effort by YouTube to combat Russian propaganda and enforce sanctions.
Sources
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