A political analyst says the bans imposed by the Western-run communications satellite service providers on Iranian channels are an appalling violation of freedom of speech. Press TV<\/b> reports.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cWe do not have free speech … there is nothing more important than free speech. It is the foundation for international relations, international cooperation, international communication and particularly for international conflict resolution,\u201d cultural and political commentator Mark Mason told Press TV in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.\n<\/p>\n
The analyst made the remarks when questioned about the latest decision by the communications satellite service provider, Intelsat, to take Iranian channels off the air as of July 1.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cThere is nothing more important than free communication of ideas and I am appalled by these actions,\u201d he added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Mason said the US Constitution as well as the First Amendment to the Constitution in the Bill of Rights enshrine the American citizens\u00e2\u201e\u00a2 right to free speech “as the foundation of the US democracy,” adding, however, that the Americans are currently denied a major proportion of this entitlement.<\/p>\n
Following the US pressures on alternative television news, Mason added, the Americans have turned to the Internet – which he said has been playing a key role as a means of social communication during the revolutions in the Arab world and the ongoing protests in Turkey and Brazil.\n<\/p>\n
The expert said given the influence of \u00c5\u201cthe big guys: the US, the UK, [and] NATO … international law and international relations really are built upon the core essence of the third parties.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Therefore, he added, it would be left to \u00c5\u201cthe Third World, the Global South particularly, the Non-Aligned nations and such to push forward civil rights, to push for international rights for free and open communication.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Press TV and other Iranian channels have been targeted by a wave of attacks from European governments and satellite companies since January 2012, with European companies citing the West’s anti-Iran sanctions as the reason.\n<\/p>\n
However, Michael Mann, the spokesman for the EU foreign policy chief has told Press TV that the sanctions do not apply to Iranian media.\n<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the French-Israeli CEO of Europe’s satellite giant, Eutelsat, has written letters to several satellite companies, asking them to stop cooperating with Iranian channels, and the Israeli lobby in the United States has openly supported European attempts to ban those channels.\n<\/p>\n
Press TV says the campaign against Iranian media violates Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that promotes media freedoms.\n<\/p>\n
MRS\/SS\/HMV<\/p>\n