EU Tells Iran: Stop Media Jamming
- March 22nd, 2010
- Posted by EUEditor
E
uropean Union Foreign Ministers have demanded that Iran stop jamming outside broadcast services into the country.
They released a joint statement saying that the EU would pursue the issue of unacceptable electronic blocking of satellite television and radio transmission.
Seventy media organisations have found their broadcasts stopped since last month, at the time of widespread anti-government demonstrations coinciding with the anniversary of the Iranian revolution.
They include the BBC, Deutsche Welle and the Voice of America.
The militant Islamic government in Teheran, facing destabilising protest following contested national elections, has accused the outside news media of running propaganda to help opposition campaigners.
The EU statement comes in the context of international discussion of possible stepped-up economic sanctions against Iran, to dissuade it from using its nuclear energy program, to make weapons.
This has extended to proposals to stop European firms selling technology to Iran that could be used for interfering with broadcasts, or for monitoring and controlling email and mobile telephone traffic.
Reference
“EU slams Iran’s jamming of satellite signals as ‘unacceptable’â€, Deutsche Welle, Bonn, 22.2.10.  http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,5377813,00.html, (22.3.10).
“EU pressures Iran to end jamming†BBC News, London, 22.2.10. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8579719.stm, (22.3.10)