"On behalf of Baltic Media Alliance, I would like to apologize to the people of Lithuania for the broadcast of a feature about the painful developments of January 13, 1991, that hurt civil feelings of every Lithuanian on one of the channels rebroadcasts by our holding," Butkevičienė, board chairperson of BMA Lietuva, said in a press release.
"Broadcast during my holidays, the feature was a huge insult, which I view as a provocation. Therefore, I am cutting short my holidays and am returning to Lithuania immediately to take full responsibility and do everything in my capacity to establish why such content went on air," she said.
False facts about the Soviet aggression against Lithuania on January 13, 1991, were reported during the First Baltic Channel's broadcast "Man and Law" on October 4.
The FBC's broadcast included an interview with Mikhail Golovatov, the then commander of the Alpha Group that stormed the TV Tower in Vilnius and other people who denied the military attack.
Following the broadcast, cable TV provider Cgates stopped the rebroadcasting of the Latvian-registered FBC.
14 people were killed during an attempt by the Soviet army and special forces to take over the Vilnius TV Tower on January 13, 1991, and more than 1,000 unarmed civilians were injured.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Radio and Television Commission asked the Russian-language First Baltic Channel to retract the false information contained in the broadcast.
A Latvian media watchdog agency also pledged to open a probe, as the channel is registered in Latvia.
