LONDON – The BBC, Voice of America and Deutsche Welle condemned Iran for blocking broadcasts from abroad as it sought to suppress protests on yesterday’s anniversary of the Islamic regime.
The “deliberate act of jamming” contravenes international broadcasting agreements, the three media organisations said in a joint statement yesterday. They called on satellite operators and international regulators to “put pressure on Iran to stop this activity”.
Iran closed down Google’s Gmail service and other communication channels, and security forces attacked protesters who used the celebrations as a platform for anti-government demonstrations. Yesterday, websites that reported the clashes were hacked.
Gen Masoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of military staff, said this week that media such as the BBC and Voice of America were the “command room” for a “soft coup” against Iran’s clerical rulers.
The ban on media coverage of protests makes it hard to assess how many took part in yesterday’s demonstrations.
A crackdown on journalists since the protests began in June has left 65 in prison, “a figure without precedent”, according to Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders.
The three broadcasters said their services across Europe and the Middle East are being affected as Iran interferes with their signal through the Hotbird satellite. – (Bloomberg)