Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman criticizes a recent move by Europe’s main satellite operator, Eutelsat, to take Iran’s Press TV news network off the air, saying the attack exposed the true face of the false defenders of freedom of expression.
In a Thursday tweet, Nasser Kanaani said France-based Eutelsat’s decision for broadcasters to stop carrying Press TV comes as Europe hosts TV channels that promote violence and terrorism against Iran.
“The new action against Press TV further exposes the true face of the false defenders of freedom of expression and the free flow of information,” it added.
Eutelsat said on Wednesday that its decision was due to new sanctions imposed on the Iranian English-language news channel by the European Union for its coverage of a recent wave of protests and riots in Iran.
“Eutelsat has assessed the consequences of the adoption by the European Union on November 14, 2022 of additional sanctions against the perpetrators of serious human rights violations in Iran,” the French company told AFP.
“Eutelsat has been in contact with its counterparts that broadcast Press TV, in order to enforce the cessation of the broadcast as soon as possible,” he added.
Reacting to the move, Press TV, in a statement, strongly denounced the European Union’s double standards on freedom of expression, saying the move was part of Western “media terrorism” against Iran.
