Iran rejects allegations of jamming satellite TV signals
By Sara Rajabova
Iran has strongly rejected a claim by the French foreign ministry saying it has tried to jam satellite television signals, IRIB news agency reported on Wednesday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said the allegations, made by the French ministry spokesman, Vincent Floreani, are absolutely baseless, and condemned what he labeled as clear double standards of some European countries on the issue.
Mehmanparast said Floreani's assertion that Iran jams satellite television signals from Europe comes at a time when the European Union and a number of European countries have decided to block the transmission of Iranian satellite TV channels in Europe, ordering European satellite companies such as Eutelsat not to broadcast Iranian satellite channels -- a decision which is meant to deprive the European public of learning about the truth and real events happening around the world.
Mehmanparast noted that blocking the broadcasting of Iranian satellite channels in Europe is a clear example of violation of freedom of expression, freedom of the press and human rights.
"Instead of baselessly accusing other countries, Western countries have to answer and account for their illegal actions, they have to explain why they have stopped the free flow of information and news, and they have to explain why they have trampled upon well-established principles of international law, and to re-think their policies," he added.
The European Union on Wednesday denounced Iran's "deliberate jamming" of television and radio satellite broadcasts that deprive its citizens of access to free information, and called on Tehran to abide by global telecommunications laws, AFP reported.
"Since 2009, repeated waves of jamming have affected the signals of European satellites in the Middle East," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement.
"Such jamming, whose origin has been traced to Iran in particular, are hammering the broadcast of international media on Iranian territory."
Ashton said among the affected broadcasters were Britain's BBC, France 24, US-funded Voice of America and Germany's Deutsche Welle.
She added that the jamming had intensified since mid-October and was obstructing more than 500 television channels and 200 radio stations.
Ashton called on Tehran to abide by its international obligations in the matter and to "cooperate in the detection and elimination of harmful interference".
In mid-October, the French-based satellite provider Eutelsat, Intelsat and Britain's Arqiva turned off state television channels, a move based on reinforced EU sanctions against Iran.
Last week, the United States unveiled sanctions against four Iranians and five Iranian bodies, including the communications minister and the culture ministry, for what is said to be censoring the media and the Internet.
The U.S. and EU-engineered sanctions were imposed based on the accusation that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program. Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.