Eutelsat Further Comments on Allegations of Obstacles to Freedom of Information in Iran

Eutelsat further comments on allegations of obstacles to freedom of information in Iran

14 Oct 2010

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Eutelsat to send us additional information on these articles published on our website:

- “Shirin Ebadi: “Nokia Siemens’ action a major accomplishment for Iranians and for people of the world”, Intl. Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, 6 Oct 2010 http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2010/10/shirin-ebadi-nokia-siemens-action-a-major- accomplishment-for-iranians-and-for-people-of-the-world/

- Eutelsat statement on transmission of BBC Persian, Deutsche Welle and Voice of America Persian, Eutelsat, 22 Mar 2010 http://www.eutelsat.com/news/compress/en/2010/pdf/PR1310_BBCPersian_VOA-update.pdf

Eutelsat sent the following statement to the Resource Centre:

Eutelsat adds to the information you have on our company (our press release of 22 March) that we have worked closely with broadcasters, who include the BBC, Voice of America and Deutsche Welle to put procedures in place that restore regular interference-free broadcasting of these channels through our satellites.

All these broadcasters, as well as other independent Farsi channels are now transmitting through four Eutelsat satellites, including our flagship HOT BIRD™ video satellites. This means they are available to satellite homes in a region covering Europe and the Middle East, as far as Iran.

As an independent, commercial company, Eutelsat does not respond to political or ideological pressure of any kind in the conduct of our activity. Our policies and procedures are guided by the objective to provide the best technical quality to our clients. They are in no way guided by an agenda of censorship, any opinion or decision concerning content being the responsibility of appropriate regulatory authorities and subject to European legislation, which Eutelsat scrupulously respects.

These principles have been explained to Dr Shirin Ebadi, with whom a Eutelsat representative met in April this year, at our request.