Journalists condemn EU bans on Press TV officials

Journalists have condemned the EU bans on Press TV officials saying the move damages the West’s credibility on the issue of freedom of speech, Press TV reports.

Many journalists say the West’s war against Iranian media has crossed a red line, after the European Union issued travel and banking sanctions against a Press TV journalist

Journalists also wonder how far the West is prepared to go in its campaign of censorship and intimidation.

“Journalists should be able to do their work and be able to travel around freely. An essential point in any building of the democratic institutions is to ensure that there is an open media space. We might not agree with the media all the time but they should be allowed to carry on with their works and to put restrictions on the journalists themselves is anti-democratic,” journalist James Overton told Press TV.

On Tuesday, the European Union blacklisted Press TV CEO Mohammad Sarafraz and Newsroom Director Hamid Reza Emadi for airing a 10-second report about Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari, who worked for Newsweek magazine in Tehran in 2009 following post-election riots in Iran.

Emadi and Sarafraz are the latest victims in the ongoing international campaign to repress Iranian media. Both have been falsely accused without explanation or being given the chance to defend themselves.

“I think it is totally outrageous that we have the West, the European Union and various Western powers if you will, putting restrictions on media,” Overton added.

“It is not just about news, current affairs, government issues and defense matters, it is also about culture and history because people all over the world have a thirst or have a need to understand more about Iranian culture and history,” he pointed out.

While many Western media have stopped reporting the still near-daily demonstrations in countries like Spain and Greece and opposition to France’s obstruction of peace efforts in Syria, or ignored repression in countries such as Bahrain or Myanmar, Press TV has stayed true to its original mission of being the voice of the voiceless.