Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”.
On October 15th, a total of 19 Iranian satellite TV channels and radio stations broadcasting to Europe were cut off of its Hot Bird Frequencies. Among these channels are Press TV, Al-Alam, Jam-e-Jam 1 and 2, Sahar 1 and 2, Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, Quran TV, and the Arabic-language al-Kawthar. The transmissions had been terminated on an order from the European Commission as part of Europe’s latest unilateral sanctions against Iran.
Press TV is state-funded like the BBC. In May 2012 Ofcom revoked Press TV's broadcasting license and removed the channel from Sky. A WikiLeaks cable reveals how the Foreign Office told an American diplomat in 2010 that the government was “exploring ways to limit the operations of … Press TV”. At the time, the department warned the US that: “UK law sets a very high standard for denying licenses to broadcasters. Licenses can only be denied in cases where national security is threatened, or if granting a license would be contrary to Britain’s obligations under international law. Currently neither of these standards can be met with respect to Press TV, but if further sanctions are imposed on Iran in the coming months a case may be able to be made on the second criterion.”
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." This quote is widely attributed to Voltaire.
5 comments:
Press TV workers should be relieved tht they suffer just a ban.
A NATO bombing of the Serb Radio and Television headquarters occurred on 23 April 1999, during the Kosovo War, and destroyed the headquarters of Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) network in Belgrade, killing sixteen employees of RTS.
Al Jazeera too were subject to targetted bombing when judged to be taking too independent an editorial role. On 13 November 2001 a U.S. missile hit Al Jazeera's office in Kabul, Afghanistan, during the U.S. invasion of that country. On 1 April 2003, a United States plane fired on Al Jazeera's Baghdad bureau, killing reporter Tareq Ayyoub
Why do you defend those fascists? Why not spend your time helping socialists that are atacked by that regime instead?
Antonio
We defend democracy and that includes the right of our political enemies to say and hear what they want. We have never supported the case for no platform for fascists and we have never opposed them holding meetings or marches.
There is little difference in the propaganda of the BBC or Fox News with Press TV and the ban is simply another example of hypocrisy and deliberate manipulation of public opinion
Do you really think that the difference is small? Acoording to this blog there is a big difference: http://freethoughtblogs.com/maryamnamazie/2011/11/10/will-you-shut-down-press-tv/
Antonio
Our condemnation of the attempted political censorship of Press TV shouldn't be taken to giving support for the dictatorship in Iran.
You claim there exists a "big difference" between between the BBC, Fox, CNN and countless other news channels transmitted via satellite and Press TV, We beg to differ. There maybe cosmetic differences but all those TV news channels ultimately serve the interests of their government. They belatedly acknowledged their uncritical acceptance of state propaganda concerning the supposed Iraqi WMDs. It appears from the current reporting of Iran's nuclear research that they have failed to learn the lesson to question sources, as reported elsewhere on this blog.
The Socialist Party is committed to political liberty and freedom for ALL political expression,even for those we oppose.
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