Iranian Press TV UK broadcast license revoked
Global TV network in Britain forced off the air due to National Security?
On Friday, British media regulator Ofcom served Press TV's London office with an order to pay a 100,000-pound fine. The order came hours after Ofcom decided to revoke the broadcaster's license and to remove it from the Sky platform under the pretext that the network had breached its broadcasting code.
The CEO of the English-language broadcaster Press TV says Britain's ban on the Iran-based news network's office in London is the “worst decision at the worst time.”
In an interview with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) channel 2 late on Saturday, Press TV CEO Dr. Mohammad Sarafraz scoffed at the decision, saying it would not be able to halt the wave of awakening in Britain and across the world.
He said that the United States and the West have lost their democratic disguise, which benefitted them for years, and their media outlets are facing a serious crisis because their “hypocrisy” is being exposed.
Sarafraz stated that the “medieval” strategy of banning the Press TV office would not be able to silence the alternative media outlet, adding that those seeking a “different voice” will find a way to access the broadcaster.
The Press TV CEO also dismissed Ofcom's accusations that the news network breached its regulations.
He attributed the fine and the ban on Press TV's office in London to the network's efforts to shed light on the British government's crimes and involvement in breaches of people's rights, murder, and the plunder of the resources of various nations during 400 years of colonialism.
Sarafraz said Ofcom's restrictions were politically motivated and arose from Press TV's efforts to reflect the atrocities Israel is committing in the Palestinian territories and its coverage of the West's violations of human rights.
He noted that the so-called independent body launched its campaign to restrict the Tehran-based broadcaster when it broadcast live coverage of Israel's 22-day war on the Gaza Strip from late December 2008 to mid-January 2009, in which over 1,400 Palestinians were killed and thousands more injured.
The nonstop outflow of reports from the beleaguered territory prompted Israel to target Press TV's office in Gaza and drew an “organized” wave of complaints from Jews, he added.
Sarafraz called attention to the fact that the British government appointed Ofcom's high-ranking officials and also funds the organization, saying this provides clear evidence that Ofcom functions as the kingdom's media-control instrument.
The ban and the fine were not the first measures taken against Press TV in Britain, he said, and referred to various attempts -- ranging from filing lawsuits and offering bribes to the use of threats, intimidation, and violence -- to hinder the activities of the Iranian broadcaster.
The Press TV CEO said Western media outlets such as BBC and CNN never face such restrictions, despite the fact that they present distorted images of events in Iran and blackout the crimes of Western-backed dictators in countries like Bahrain and Yemen.
Ofcom is said to have close ties with Britain's royal family and the cables released by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks show that Press TV's programs on the royal wedding, which many in the country described as extravagant, angered the royal family.
Another Wikileaks cable dated December 6, 2010 confirms the political nature of Ofcom's verdict.
The cable revealed that in a secret meeting on February 3, 2010, Jaime Turner, the deputy head of Multilateral Affairs at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Iran Group, briefed Poloff, the Iran Watcher at the US Embassy in London, on Press TV.
Turner said that while lodging complaints at the International Telecommunications Union has symbolic value, the British government recognizes that the body has no enforcement authority and that it is looking at other ways to address the issue.
"The British government is exploring ways to limit the operations of the IRIB's Press TV service, which operates a large bureau (over 80 staff) in London. However, UK law sets a very high standard for denying licenses to broadcasters. Licenses can only be denied in cases where national security is threatened, or if granting a license would be contrary to Britain's obligations under international law. Currently, neither of these standards can be met with respect to Press TV, but if further sanctions are imposed on Iran in in the coming months, a case may be able to be made on the second criterion," she added.
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