'Blatant Assault on Free Speech': Iranian TV Channels Gagged in Europe

February 25, 2013 from Press TV

European satellite provider Eutelsat is reportedly pressurizing a Slovenia-based satellite communications company to stop carrying Iran's Arabic-language Al-Alam news network. Press TV, Al-Alam's English-language equivalent, which has been the victim of similar moves in Europe and North America, describes the attempted takedown as "a blatant assault on the freedom of speech." Eutelsat has threatened the Slovenia-based satellite communications company Satellite Telecommunications Network (STN) with punitive measures if it doesn't remove Al-Alam from its platform within the next 48 hours. On February 20, the Arab satellite provider Gulfsat banned Iranian channels iFilm and Al-Kawthar, also under direct pressure from the Eutelsat, which says it is complying with EU-approved sanctions against Iran. Press TV has conducted an interview with Beirut-based political analyst Kamel Wazni to further discuss the issue.

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Sanctions against Iran

Over the years, sanctions have taken a serious toll on Iran's economy and people. Since 1979, the United States has led international efforts to use sanctions to influence Iran's policies, including Iran's uranium enrichment program, which Western powers fear is intended to ga... Explore this topic

Eutelsat

Eutelsat S.A. is a French-based satellite provider. Providing coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, it is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues.... Explore this topic

Al-Alam

Al-Alam is an Arabic news channel broadcasting from Iran and is owned by the state-owned media corporation Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. The network's political coverage tends to be the most popular; however, other subjects, such as commentaries, analysis, business an... Explore this topic

Press TV

Press TV is a 24-hour English language news network owned by the state-owned media corporation Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. Its headquarters are located in Tehran, Iran. The station has been criticised for its uncritical embrace of provocative stances. For British jo... Explore this topic

Iran

Irano Islamo Respublika – valstybė Artimuosiuose Rytuose, Azijos pietvakarinėje dalyje. Ribojasi su Armėnija, Azerbaidžanu, Turkmėnija bei Kaspijos jūra šiaurėje, Afganistanu ir Pakistanu rytuose, Iraku ir Turkija vakaruose, Persijos įlanka bei Omano įlanka pietuose. Explore this topic

Satellite Telecommunications Network

Satellite Telecommunications Network, is a DVB-S / DVB-S2 satellite communications company based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. STN was founded in July 2004 with the goal of becoming one of broadcast-over-satellite provider for Hot Bird 6, W2, Hellas Sat 2, TelStar 12, Intelsat-10, A... Explore this topic

HispanTV

HispanTV is a Spanish language television channel operated by IRIB, Iran's state-owned public broadcasting corporation. It began broadcasting in December 2011. This is the very first Spanish-language TV network in the Middle East. HispanTV's programming will be distributed in ... Explore this topic

Gulfsat

Gulfsat provides satellite communications solutions in the state of Kuwait. It was established in 1995 with the partnership of the Kuwait Ministry of Communications and Hughes Network Systems. Gulfsat is a member of KIPCO Group, the region’s leading investment group. Explore this topic

Freedom of speech

Freedom of speech is the political right to communicate one's opinions and ideas. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used. In practice, the right... Explore this topic

Censorship

Censorship is the suppression of speech or other public communication which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or inconvenient as determined by a government, media outlet, or other controlling body. It can be done by governments and private organizations or b... Explore this topic

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Sanctions against Iran

Eutelsat

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