diff --git a/doc/examples/demuxing_decoding.c b/doc/examples/demuxing_decoding.c
index 325c7b8cda..1b5a989471 100644
--- a/doc/examples/demuxing_decoding.c
+++ b/doc/examples/demuxing_decoding.c
@@ -369,10 +369,8 @@ int main (int argc, char **argv)
     }
 
 end:
-    if (video_dec_ctx)
-        avcodec_close(video_dec_ctx);
-    if (audio_dec_ctx)
-        avcodec_close(audio_dec_ctx);
+    avcodec_close(video_dec_ctx);
+    avcodec_close(audio_dec_ctx);
     avformat_close_input(&fmt_ctx);
     if (video_dst_file)
         fclose(video_dst_file);
diff --git a/doc/examples/filtering_audio.c b/doc/examples/filtering_audio.c
index 35dd4e7d28..8a3d91f41d 100644
--- a/doc/examples/filtering_audio.c
+++ b/doc/examples/filtering_audio.c
@@ -248,8 +248,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     }
 end:
     avfilter_graph_free(&filter_graph);
-    if (dec_ctx)
-        avcodec_close(dec_ctx);
+    avcodec_close(dec_ctx);
     avformat_close_input(&fmt_ctx);
     av_frame_free(&frame);
     av_frame_free(&filt_frame);
diff --git a/doc/examples/filtering_video.c b/doc/examples/filtering_video.c
index 3a26b1aca0..9c9881468d 100644
--- a/doc/examples/filtering_video.c
+++ b/doc/examples/filtering_video.c
@@ -237,8 +237,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     }
 end:
     avfilter_graph_free(&filter_graph);
-    if (dec_ctx)
-        avcodec_close(dec_ctx);
+    avcodec_close(dec_ctx);
     avformat_close_input(&fmt_ctx);
     av_frame_free(&frame);
     av_frame_free(&filt_frame);