Iran’s Majlis to review Eutelsat SA ban on Iranian channels

A senior Iranian lawmaker says Iran’s Majlis is set to review the ban by French-based satellite provider Eutelsat SA on the country’s channels.

Chairman of the Legal and Judicial Committee of Iran’s Majlis Allahyar Malekshahi said on Monday that the ban on the broadcast of Iranian channels can be pursued with regards to the financial costs inflicted on Iran.

According to Malekshahi, the committee addresses those moves by foreign countries and organizations that cause financial losses to the Islamic Republic.

On October 15, the European Telecommunications Satellite Organization, Eutelsat SA, stopped the broadcast of several Iranian satellite channels allegedly based on an order by the European Commission.

In a blatant violation of freedom of speech, the company ordered media services company, Arqiva, to take Iranian satellite channels, including 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, off one of its Hot Bird frequencies.

Pundits say the ban was enforced because the Iranian news channels broke the West’s monopoly on news broadcast by reflecting the voice of the oppressed people to the world.