Iran increases pressure on international broadcasters

The Iranian government is stepping up its pressure on Farsi-language broadcasters as protests against the regime continue to escalate across Iran.

Bearing the brunt of the attacks over the weekend of 8-9 October is London-based Iran International TV. The Secretary of the legal and judicial committee of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad-Taghi Naqdali, known as a hardline cleric, called on the Iranian government to “use capabilities in the international arena” to take steps against Iran International that he claims “make calls for riots, destruction of property and regime change.”

Naqdali’s comments follow extensive jamming traced to Iran of international satellites operated by Eutelsat and Arabsat that were stepped up after demonstrations against the Iranian government increased following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in September.

The Iranian cleric suggested that his government should lodge complaints about Iran International with UK media regulator Ofcom, saying that the regulator “can be used by the [Iranian] foreign ministry and the Judiciary” to get the broadcaster shut down. In 2019, Iran’s ambassador to the the United Kingdom raised a complaint with Ofcom about a broadcast in September 2018 that was overruled by the regulator with the regulator finding that Iran International had kept within the UK’s Broadcasting Code.

Iran has long been involved in the jamming of TV and radio broadcasts from outside the country where news and information is strictly controlled by the Iranian government. This is contrary to international law, and the ITU Radio Regulations to which Iran is a signatory.

The AIB is working closely with its Members affected by Iranian jamming and by the Iranian government’s attempts to silence their operations.

[Image: By Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=98521741]