UANI Applauds Arqiva and Eutelsat for Ending Broadcast of Iranian Regime Programming

October 15, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2012
Contact: Nathan Carleton, press@uani.com
Phone: (212) 554-3296

UANI Applauds Arqiva and Eutelsat for Ending Broadcast of Iranian Regime Programming
Following UANI Campaign, Eutelsat and Arqiva Take 19 Iranian Stations off Airways

New York, NY - On Monday, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) applauded the British telecommunications company Arqiva, and European Satellite provider Eutelsat, for taking 19 Iranian television and radio stations off the European airways, effective today.

Since May 3, 2012, UANI has been in discussions with Arqiva to stop broadcasting and transmitting the Iranian regime's state-owned networks and propaganda. In May, UANI contacted Eutelsat, and called on it to "to end all business activities in Iran, including the service and maintenance of past contracts."

In June, UANI publicly called on Arqiva to end its broadcasting of the regime's principal propaganda tool against democracy and human rights activists, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

Said UANI CEO, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace:

Arqiva has made the right decision, and we applaud it. We also applaud Eutelsat for taking these Iranian broadcasters off the European airways today. Any entity committed to free speech must completely distance itself from the Iranian regime, particularly given the regime's libelous programming that regularly includes hate speech against religious minorities, forced confessions of peaceful dissidents and civil society activists, and show trials of political prisoners.

We thank Arqiva and Eutelsat officials for working with us on this important matter and also call on them to commit to stopping all transmissions of Iranian regime programming worldwide, until the regime stops disseminating hateful propaganda and violating international law. We call on all media entities worldwide to stop broadcasting IRIB programming and other regime propaganda. 

As part of its "Tech and Telecom Campaign," UANI has succeeded in curtailing the business of international telecom giants such as Adaptive Mobile, Huawei, and Nokia Siemens Networks in Iran. UANI launched the campaign in 2011 to highlight the practices of international firms that provide the Iranian regime with sensitive technology and telecommunications equipment that the regime uses to facilitate its suppression of citizens.

Click here to read UANI's May 30 letter to Arqiva.
Click here to read UANI's May 3 letter to Arqiva.
Click here to read UANI's letter to Eutelsat.

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