Friday, October 19, 2012

Jamming interrupts Western broadcasters

Programming from the Deutsche Welle and other foreign broadcasters has been jammed in parts of the Middle East. DW Director General Erik Betterman called the interruption an attack on freedom of the press.
Western radio and television broadcasts to parts of the Middle East have apparently been cut off because of a targeted jamming attack. In addition to programming by Deutsche Welle, the BBC and Voice of America have also been affected.

European satellite operator Eutelsat said earlier this week that the "deliberate and intermittent interference" originated in Syria.

Deutsche Welle programming was last interrupted on Thursday morning (18.10.2012). DW Director General Erik Bettermann protested against the renewed attack on freedom of expression. In cooperation with other foreign broadcasters, the Deutsche Welle was preparing a resolution against the jamming, Bettermann said.

Experts suspected that Iran was behind the current interruptions. According to media reports, the country has jammed reception of a variety of broadcasters in recent years.

The most recent episode, experts said, could be connected to a Eutelsat decision to stop carrying 19 Iranian channels. The satellite operator on Monday stopped broadcasting television and radio stations operated by Iran's state media organization, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). Effective immediately, the programming offered by these channels, including the international news channel "Press TV," is no longer available outside of Iran.


(Source : Deutsche Welle)

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