Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

One of Europe's leading satellite providers said it had taken Iranian state television and radio channels off the air to comply with tougher European Union sanctions on the Iran.

European satellite provider Eutelsat and the British satellite operator Arqiva have jointly agreed to terminate broadcasts via Eutelsat's Hot Bird satellites of channels belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

The Eutelsat decision hit 19 channels provided by IRIB including English-language Press TV - used by Tehran to broadcast its news and views beyond the country's borders.

Eutelsat possesses 29 geostationary satellites that provide coverage of two-thirds of the world population. The company is the leader in Europe and the third largest satellite operator in the world.

The Paris based satellite operator said in a statement: "This decision was based on reinforced EU Council sanctions and a confirmation by France's broadcasting authority that the Sahar 1 TV channel that broadcast in IRIB's multiplex of television and radio services should be permanently switched off. IRIB has been informed of the termination of its contract. Transmissions consequently ceased this morning [October 15] through the Hot Bird transponder."

Iranian officials said the move by Paris-based Eutelsat was illegal and against the West's own principles of free speech, state media reported on Tuesday.

"By stopping the broadcasting of Iranian radio and TV channels through Hotbird, Western countries are trying to silence Iran. However, they have only increased our audience," Iranian state TV broadcaster's senior official, Mohsen Sherefraz, said, FARS news agency reported on Tuesday.

Sherefraz noted that Iranian TV channels have been taken off the air because of their reports which ran counter to Western channels' broadcasts.

"They have stopped broadcasting of our channels as the channels gave information on events in Middle East, on violations during protest marches in the United States and Europe. They will not be able to easily silence our voice, we will continue our activities in internet, phones and social networks," Sherefraz said.

Iran's Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Mohammad Hosseini said the shut-down was illegal and "a clear violation of the West's claim for supporting freedom of speech and information," ISNA news agency reported.

The French broadcasting authority Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA) confirmed its decision of 2005 that the Sahar 1 channel should be permanently switched off via Eutelsat's Hot Bird satellites. As a French company, Eutelsat is bound to comply with instructions from the French broadcasting authority.

The move came weeks after Eutelsat complained to international regulators saying Iran had jammed satellite signals from Persian-language channels broadcast by the BBC, Voice of America and other operators.

Moreover, Ezzattolah Zarghami, as the head of Iranian's state broadcaster IRIB, was included in the list of European Union sanctioned persons disclosed on March 23, following a violation of human rights by IRIB.

The European Union imposed sanctions on Iran's banking, shipping, and industrial sectors on Tuesday over Tehran's disputed nuclear program which the West fears is aimed at producing nuclear weapons. However, Tehran denies the charge.