In Case You Missed It: "Group Calls for MTN Sanctions"

In Case You Missed It: "Group Calls for MTN Sanctions"

Group Calls for MTN Sanctions
By Gareth Vorster
MyBroadband BusinessTech (South Africa)
April 25, 2012

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) has again accused MTN of working in tandem with the Iranian regime to provide it with the data and assistance for human rights abuses, and called on US President, Barack Obama to enforce sanctions against the SA mobile operator.

In a speech at the US Holocaust Museum on Monday, President Obama announced fresh sanctions against Iran, Syria and any other body who aids in the use technology to violate human rights abuses. ...

UANI CEO, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, said in a statement: "We applaud President Obama for announcing these new sanctions. The Iranian regime has a long record of misusing cellular and internet technology to spy on, track, and eventually torture innocent Iranians.

"Even worse, companies such as South Africa's MTN work in tandem with the regime, and provide it with the data, tools, and assistance for these human rights abuses. We call on the Obama Administration to fully enforce these sanctions, including against the companies that provide and help the regime with this technology."

UANI highlighted snippets from a White House Fact Sheet, which stipulated that the sanctions apply to those who have "sold, leased, or otherwise provided, directly or indirectly, goods, services, or technology to Iran or Syria likely to be used to facilitate computer or network disruption, monitoring or tracking that could assist in or enable serious human rights abuses by or on behalf of the Government of Iran or the Government of Syria."

"This clearly covers companies like MTN, which has shut off text messaging at the behest of the regime and ordered the shutdown of Skype," Wallace said.

UANI is a not-for-profit, non-partisan, advocacy group that seeks to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to obtain nuclear weapons.

It launched its "Tech & Telecom Campaign" in 2011 to highlight the practices of international firms that provide the Iranian regime with sensitive technology and telecommunications equipment that are used to restrict and monitor internet and cellphone services. The lobby group stressed that the regime uses this technology to facilitate its suppression of the citizens of Iran. ...

Click here to read the full article.
Click here to read UANI's February 29 letter to MTN.
Click here to read UANI's January 25 letter to MTN.
Click here and here to see UANI's MTN advertisements.
Click here to send a message to MTN.

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