MOSCOW, July 19 (RAPSI) — Russia's communications watchdog has sent Google LLC a letter demanding that all restrictions on senator Alexey Pushkov’s YouTube channel be lifted as soon as possible. 

The letter of the watchdog, Roskomnadzor, was sent after a record of Postscriptum program that had been posted on the Pushkov's channel was removed. The video discussed the problems of sex education for children of school and preschool age, defended the idea of protecting traditional family values.

The letter emphasizes the inadmissibility of violation of Russian laws, the watchdog said in the statement.

The letter also stresses that such actions on the part of the administration of Google LLC violate the key principles of free distribution of information and are an act of censorship, and also contradict the current provisions of the Constitution and laws of the Russian Federation. 

As noted by Roskomnadzor, YouTube more often than other foreign services restricts access to materials from Russian media. In total, about thirty cases of censorship of Russian publications and information resources were identified.

Moreover, YouTube is the leader in terms of the amount of unlawful content that has not been removed in spite of the fact that Roskomnadzor sent the administration of Google LLC (owns YouTube) more than 24,000 requests to remove prohibited content posted on the video hosting. Altogether, about 5,000 prohibited materials are still present on YouTube; a significant part of them contains materials from extremist and terrorist organizations banned on the territory of Russia other countries of the world,  Roskomnadzor reminds.

Since the beginning of the year, 11 protocols have already been drawn up against Google LLC for the failure to remove the aforementioned illegal materials. Russian courts have reviewed three protocols to date, the respective fines make 6 million rubles ($80,000 at the current exchange rate), the body observes.