2011年12月29日木曜日

Syria “most likely” behind Al-Jazeera jamming - paper

Syria “most likely” behind Al-Jazeera jamming - paper

Excerpt from report by Qatari newspaper Al-Rayah website on 24 December

The Al-Jazeera news network suffered deliberate interference to its [satellite] signals on 23 December, preventing many viewers from watching its broadcasts.

The network’s management announced new frequencies for the channel: via Nilesat on 11564 and 10853 [MHz], horizontal [polarization], 27500 [symbol rate], 3/4 [FEC]; and via Arabsat on 10890 vertical, 27500, 3/4.

By the evening of 23 December, the network had been unable to discover the source of the interference that was interrupting broadcasts via both satellites. A source close to the network said that the source of the interference was most likely Syria, based on Al-Jazeera’s coverage of the events there, which attracted international attention over the coverage of demonstrations and the repressive acts that are being exercised against rebels.

Al-Jazeera is being prevented from covering events, and counter-media campaigns target its staff. Three months ago, Al-Jazeera adopted new frequencies on the Nilesat and Arabsat satellites. The signal interference that the channel is suffering this time coincides with the painful and bloody events that the Syrian people are being subjected to during their revolt, especially after the network has shown over the past months a number of clips that reveal the actual torture and intentional murder of the unarmed rebels by the Syrian authorities.

[Passage omitted: Al-Jazeera jammed during Egyptian, Libyan uprisings]

(Source: Al-Rayah website, Doha, in Arabic 24 Dec 11 via BBC Monitoring)

2011年12月9日金曜日

US Condemns Jamming of 'Virtual Embassy Tehran'

December 07, 2011

US Condemns Jamming of 'Virtual Embassy Tehran'

The United States has condemned Iran's blockage of an interactive online "Virtual U.S. Embassy Tehran," less than 24 hours after it was officially launched in Washington.


In a statement Wednesday, the White House said that "through this action, the Iranian government has once again demonstrated its commitment to build an electronic curtain of surveillance and censorship around its people." The statement said "Tehran's systematic efforts to deny information to its citizens and to control what the Iranian people see and hear is doomed to fail in a 21st century when technology is empowering citizens around the globe."

The State Department launched the virtual diplomatic mission Tuesday, saying it is aimed at bridging the gap between Iranians and Americans that has existed since diplomatic relations were severed more than 30 years ago.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the unprecedented Internet project "a vehicle for the two peoples to communicate without fear." In her welcome video, Clinton also noted that thanks to the new technologies like the Web site, Iranians can find information about opportunities to study in America or obtain visas to come and visit.

Under-Secretary of State for political affairs Wendy Sherman said the online project is an effort to skirt the "electronic curtain" erected by Tehran to block Internet links between Iranians and the outside world.

The Iranian move came as representatives of five international broadcasters met in London to discuss the deliberate jamming of their broadcast signals in countries such as Iran that seek to prevent free access to information.

Voice of America joined the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Audiovisuel Exterieur de la France and Radio Netherlands Worldwide in signing a statement Wednesday, condemning the practices and calling for action to stop it.

In the statement, the five broadcasters say they have seen an escalation this year in the number of pressure tactics that have been used on the media accessed by audiences in Iran and other countries. They asked regulatory authorities to take action against those who deliberately cause interference to satellite signals on the grounds that this is contrary to international conventions.

Secretary Clinton announced the plans for the "Virtual U.S. Embassy Tehran" in an interview with VOA's Persian News Network in late October. Iran responded by saying the project will not succeed.

But U.S. officials expressed confidence that the new project will be popular, saying a State Department Persian Facebook page created earlier this year has already had about one million "hits."

Iranians are invited to contribute comments and criticism through links to State Department Twitter and Facebook accounts provided on the new website.

The U.S. virtual embassy web site is available in English at "Tehran.usembassy.gov" or "iran.usembassy.gov" and in Persian at "Persian.iran.usembassy.gov".

International broadcasters say Iran is increasing efforts to jam foreign broadcasts

International broadcasters say Iran is increasing efforts to jam foreign broadcasts

LONDON — Leading international broadcasters on Wednesday accused Iran of increasing its intimidation of foreign media and accelerating efforts to jam satellite broadcasts in Farsi from reaching Iranian audiences.

Following a meeting of senior media executives in London, Voice of America, the British Broadcasting Corporation, Germany’s Deutsche Welle, France’s AEF and Radio Netherlands Worldwide issued a joint statement calling for an end to attempts to block independent media.

Iran has previously been criticized over its efforts to jam broadcasts and block websites of foreign-based Farsi-language media, including BBC Persian and Voice of America.

“We call upon the regulatory authorities to take action against those who deliberately cause interference to satellite signals,” the broadcasters said in a statement, urging national authorities to take up the issue at a meeting of the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva.

Tehran has accused the BBC, along with the British government, of fomenting the mass protests that broke out after Iran’s disputed presidential election in 2009.

In September, the BBC said jamming from within Iran had been expanded to target Eutelsat’s W3A satellite, which covers Africa, Europe and parts of the Middle East.

Iranian authorities have also questioned an unspecified number of people over their alleged links to BBC’s Farsi-language service, and arrested six independent filmmakers for allegedly providing the BBC with video and news reports perceived as damaging to Iran.

“We have seen an escalation this year in the number of pressure tactics that have been used on the media being accessed by audiences in Iran and other countries,” the broadcasters said in their statement.

The issue was discussed at a meeting in London of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the U.S. government funded agency which has channels broadcasting to about 187 million people in 100 countries.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

2011年10月13日木曜日

Internet Censorship Growth Hampers News, Study Says

Internet Censorship Growth Hampers News, Study Says

A detailed study of Internet censorship in China and Iran shows that blocking techniques are changing rapidly and are becoming significant new obstacles for news organizations, governments and businesses.

The study, being published on Tuesday, focuses on Internet blocking faced by Iranian and Chinese visitors to BBC Web sites during periods of political unrest in the two countries over the last two years.

“This problem of Internet control is becoming an issue for more than human rights concerns,” said an author of the report, Ronald Deibert, the director of the Canada Center for Global Security Studies and the Citizen Lab, a University of Toronto organization that focuses on Internet security. “The fact is that you have dozens of countries not just filtering for porn, but political filtering and key events as well.”

The study, by the BBC and Dr. Deibert’s center, acknowledges that the Internet accounts for only about 13 percent of the broadcaster’s global audience, which totaled 225 million people in 2010-11. But it is increasingly important in authoritarian countries; for example, there are now 500 million Chinese Internet users, many times the number that listen to shortwave broadcasts.

The study documents the activities of firewall censorship during a variety of political events, including anniversaries of events like the Tiananmen Square protests.

The activities of censoring authorities are not easily predictable and can change rapidly, the authors say, adding that broadcasters must be ready to engage in a “cat and mouse” game with censors by constantly monitoring government firewall systems and by clever use of alternatives like Twitter and other social media.

Government censorship of broadcasters goes back at least to World War II, the report says. The Nazis enacted strict laws to prevent Germans from listening to foreign broadcasts, and radios were designed so they could not receive the broadcasts. During the cold war, the Soviets began an intensive radio-jamming campaign, and the United States responded with a “ring plan” — vast deployments of strategically placed shortwave transmitters meant to overwhelm the jammers.

The report, “Casting a Wider Net: Lessons Learned in Delivering BBC Content on the Censored Internet,” says the news media will need to form alliances to combat censorship efforts.

“Vietnam has been learning its blocking technology from China,” said the lead author, Karl Kathuria, the BBC’s senior operations manager. “One of our recommendations is that broadcasters get together as well.”

To help make its service available through firewalls, BBC has collaborated with Psiphon, a software firm that is a spinoff of the University of Toronto computer security researchers. The firm supplies circumvention software to BBC and the Voice of America as well as other organizations.

There are several ways to avoid firewall blocking systems. One of them, known as a Web proxy, routes requests for Web pages through an intermediate Internet address.

2011年9月9日金曜日

BBC: Iran targets new satellite to jam broadcast

BBC: Iran targets new satellite to jam broadcast

Posted: Sep 08, 2011 1:41 AM Updated: Sep 08, 2011 1:42 AM
LONDON (AP) - The BBC says Iran has stepped up the jamming of its Farsi-language television service by interfering with the operation of a Eutelsat satellite.

Jamming from within Iran has affected BBC Persian television since its launch in 2009, and the British broadcaster says that one of Eutelsat's high-power Hotbird satellites has been targeted since July.

But the BBC now says that Iran has expanded its jamming to target the Paris-based company's W3A satellite, which covers Africa, Europe and parts of the Middle East.

BBC foreign editor Jon Williams said in a message posted to Twitter that "we call on Tehran authorities to stop these illegal acts."

Eutelsat did not immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday. BBC Persian is still broadcasting on other satellites.

___

BBC Persian TV now jammed on two satellites

BBC Persian TV now jammed on two satellites

The deliberate jamming of BBC Persian TV from within Iran has now moved to two different satellites for the first time. The Hotbird satellite has been targeted since July and now the Eutelsat W3A satellite is subject to interference.

Eutelsat, the satellite owner, has validated the geolocalisation of the source of the interference as being in Iran.

Both BBC and Eutelsat condemn this extensive and deliberate act that is contrary to international conventions for the use of satellites.

Peter Horrocks, Director BBC Global News, said: "We continue to work closely with Eutelsat and the international regulatory community to find means of countering this interference. It is well known that Iran are actively engaged in the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)'s Radio Regulations Board yet their fellow countrymen continue to flout the very conventions by which the industry operates.

"We call on those of influence to do all they can to impress upon Iran the illegal nature of the jamming and the need to cease this activity immediately."

Last year, the ITU Radio Regulations Board urged Iran to end interference hampering Eutelsat satellite operations.

BBC Persian TV continues to stream live online and on satellites T12 (15 degrees West) and EB2 (25.5 degrees East).

BBC Persian television launched in 2009 and has suffered similar deliberate attempts to interfere with its signal intermittently ever since.

Notes to Editors

BBC Persian is the BBC's integrated news and information service for Persian-speakers. It is available on air and on demand 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is designed to reach audiences on radio, television, the internet – on bbcpersian.com – mobile phones and handheld computers in whatever way best suits the audience. BBC Persian is one of the oldest of the BBC's non-English language services. Launched on 28 December 1940, it has evolved into the Persian-speaking world's leading international broadcaster, covering the political, social and cultural issues that matter to its diverse audiences in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and across the world. With its TV presence, BBC Persian is bringing the world to Persian-speaking audiences – reporting the news wherever it leads.

BBC World Service Press Office

2011年9月7日水曜日

Broadcasting of Al Arabiya resumes after deliberate jamming from unknown source

Broadcasting of Al Arabiya resumes after deliberate jamming from unknown source

Al Arabiya News Channel's broadcast was jammed earlier on Wednesday by an unknown party. (File photo)
Al Arabiya News Channel's broadcast was jammed earlier on Wednesday by an unknown party. (File photo)

Al Arabiya News Channel was jammed by unknown sources beginning early on Wednesday. It returned to normal broadcasting later on Wednesday.

This deliberate jamming seems to have been intended to interrupt Al Arabiya’s coverage of events taking place in the Arab region, especially in Libya and Syria.

The channel can be watched on its original permanent frequency on the Nilesat (12341 Vertical), in addition to the alternative frequencies of (12476) and (11488.)

Viewers can either do an auto-search for the new frequency or through the manual search.

This is not the first time that Al Arabiya has been deliberately jammed. At the beginning of the Libyan revolution the broadcast was jammed, and an investigation concluded that the jamming was instigated from a Qaddafi-regime intelligence center east of Tripoli.

2011年6月18日土曜日

ESAT accuses China of complicity in jamming signals

ESAT accuses China of complicity in jamming signals

esat1The Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT), which resumed transmissions to Ethiopia last week after nearly two months of interruption, has urged the government of the People’s Republic of China to desist from providing technology, training and technical assistance to the regime in Ethiopia to enable it to jam shortwave radio and satellite transmissions to Ethiopia.

The Meles regime is currently blocking independent news websites and jamming the Amharic services of the Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, and the Ethiopian Satellite Television, among others, with the help of technology and technical assistance provided by the Chinese government.

Since its launch in April 2010, ESAT has faced intense and persistent signal interference that has disrupted its transmissions six times in its short span of life. ESAT’s management has investigated the matter thoroughly and confirmed from reliable sources inside Ethiopia that the government of China has been actively working with the Meles regime to jam ESAT’s transmissions.

Mr. Kilfe Mulat, the exiled President of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists Association, has said that China’s complicity in stifling freedom of expression and undermining efforts to spread democratic values in Ethiopia is shameful and sets a bad precedence in the whole of Africa. “Ethiopia is not only the seat of the AU but also a historic symbol of freedom in Africa as the only African nation that has never been colonized. Aiding tyrants to stifle their people and block the free flow of information is tantamount to committing unwarranted crimes against the freedom-loving people of Africa that are making sacrifices to exercise their inalienable rights and free themselves from corrupt tyrants that are hampering progress in the continent.”

The President of EFPJA also urged organizations and nations promoting freedom and democracy to provide resources and support to the Ethiopian Satellite Television to overcome the China-backed jamming challenge that has seriously threatened the survival of ESAT, a grassroots media project totally funded by the Ethiopian Diaspora.

Mr. Mulat further noted that the government of China must realize the fact that collaborating with African tyrants and exporting tools of repressions to countries like Ethiopia is an inexcusable act that will further tarnish the image of China as a sponsor of tyranny and oppression.

ESAT, which was set up by a group of Ethiopian exiled journalists and pro-democracy activists to fend off Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s war every avenue of freedom, has been facing attacks and interference by the Meles regime.

“In addition to building Internet firewalls for the regime, China has emerged as one of the most formidable enemies of freedom in Ethiopia and the entire continent of Africa. China should realize the fact that the Meles regime is violating its own constitution that guarantees freedom of expression to citizens. By assisting the Meles regime in jamming ESAT and other reputable broadcasters illegally, China can only earn the condemnation of freedom-loving Ethiopians who do not wish to see their liberty trampled upon by internal and external powers,” ESAT’s management said.

Article 29 of the current Ethiopian constitution stipulates: “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression without any interference. This right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any media of his choice.” But the Meles regime is widely known for violating basic rights with impunity.

ESAT has been forced to change satellite service providers at least four times in the last one year. It started broadcasting its programs to Ethiopia on Arabsat but was forced off air due to intense signal interference and diplomatic pressure. Similarly, an effort to continue broadcasting on Thaicon was interrupted after a few months, once again, due to intense diplomatic pressure. But ESAT’s tenacious management team continued transmissions on Intelsat, an American satellite company. While a diplomatic effort to disrupt ESAT transmissions failed, the Meles regime managed to jam ESAT’s signals using the jamming equipment provided by the Chinese government.

ESAT, the first independent TV station viewed by millions of Ethiopians, has reiterated its commitment to making every effort to continue its transmissions and find ways of overcoming the Sino-Ethiopia jamming and censorship project.

ESAT, which has studios in Amsterdam, Washington DC and London, is currently transmitting 24/7 on ABS1 Satellite, C-Band at 75 East Downlink: 3.480 GHz Vertical (3480), Symbol: 1.852 Msps (1852), FEC 2/3. It has plans to transmit on a Ku-Band and shortwave radio with a view to reaching wider audience in Ethiopia. ESAT also webcasts its transmissions on www.ethsat.com.

2011年4月17日日曜日

Radio Free Sarawak says it’s being jammed

Radio Free Sarawak says it’s being jammed

Radio Free Sarawak (RFS) says it is being jammed in connection with the upcoming Malaysian elections. RFS says it will continue to attempt to monitor the elections and bring information to the people of Sarawak, along with many other internet news providers who have been under continual attack over the past week .

RFS says it can confirm that the first jamming transmission happened yesterday with a test the day before, all on 15425kHz which is right next to the RFS frequency of 15420 kHz. It says its experts have traced the attack to a known agent in Belgium, who is an established broker of transmission times. He has admitted that he has been hired to broadcast at the same time and on the same frequency as RFS, which is on the air at 1000-1200 UTC.

RFS says: “This activity is against all international broadcasting agreements and a violation by a respectable operator. However, he has admitted that the contract is worth a considerable amount of money to him, as he has been hired until December, although it is clearly only the next two days before the elections that are important. The broker has been paid to broadcast his gospel music sounds across the Radio Free Sarawak signal range at double the normal broadcast strength at a full 200 kiloWatts, which will cost around US$200 an hour at commercial rates, a full $400 a day. This, times the 270 remaining days of the year, makes the contract worth a minimum of US $108,000 - the cost of what it has taken to get Radio Free Sarawak off the air for the remaining two days of the election.

RFS continues: “Our information is that the broker, who has also brokered a jamming operation against an anti-Gaddafi station in the past, made its first transmission through Russia, Vladivostok yesterday, with a weaker signal also going through the Ukraine on exactly the same frequency as RFS, 15420kHz. The broker admitted that he had asked the Russians to go directly onto the RFS signal but that, mindful of international protocols, they had refused. After pressure, the Russians agreed to broadcast on the overly close 15420kHz [sic - presumably they mean 15425] at a very powerful signal instead, which would have a similar blocking effect.”

RFS says it is currently taking measures to vigorously protest at the illegal action and will also be taking measures to rebroadcast its show to audiences in Sarawak.

(Source: Radio Free Sarawak)

Andy Sennitt comments: A few days ago, the Malaysian government admitted that it could not jam RFS because that would contravene the Human Rights Convention of Geneva. By arranging for a private broker in another country to generate some ‘deliberate harmful interference’ - the ‘polite’ term for jamming - it presumably thinks that it can get around the rules. What strikes me as odd is that the broker in Belgium has apparently spoken openly about the contract. It will be interesting to see what happens after the election. BTW I am not allowing comments on this item, as some readers of this Weblog know the identity of the broker in question. It’s regrettable that some people put the accumulation of personal wealth ahead of supporting press freedom.

2011年4月10日日曜日

Deutsche Welle: Ethiopian service jammed again

Press Releases | 08.04.2011

Deutsche Welle: Ethiopian service jammed again

New example of an evident blockade of critical international media.

Deutsche Welle (DW) has condemned the latest case of jamming of its Amharic service for Ethiopia. Germany’s international broadcast has appealed to the Ethiopian administration to ensure that an undisturbed shortwave signal remain available for listeners in the region. The latest infringement has made it difficult for Deutsche Welle to deliver fair and balanced news about the political, economical and social developments in the target area.

DW’s shortwave signal for Ethiopia has been jammed since April 6. Programming from Voice of America has also been affected. This has lead DW officials to believe that it is a concentrated effort to block critical international media. Several individual broadcasters were also jammed in Ethiopia in May 2010 around the time of local elections.

The latest case of jamming is occurring at a point in time in which more than 200 from the alleged opposition of the Oromo Group have been arrested and journalists who have voiced criticism of the administration have been silenced. The Ethiopian administration is apparently concerned that the so-called Jasmine Revolution in North Africa will spread into their country. A call for protest has been popping up on social media platforms over the last few weeks using the motto “Beka” (enough).

After being approached by Deutsche Welle on Thursday, April 7, a spokesman from the Ethiopian government has denied any jamming attempts. The Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has publicly acknowledged the jamming of international broadcasters in the past.

German development organizations will be meeting on Monday, April 11 in Bonn ahead of the bilateral negotiations between Germany and Ethiopia – under the direction of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). For the first time, DW will use this opportunity to report on the current media landscape in Ethiopia and expand on jamming and the restrictions put on its correspondents in the country.

DW has been broadcasting its Amharic service in Ethiopia since 1965 and is along with Voice of America the most popular international source of information.

2011年3月26日土曜日

Iran’s Arabic TV said “jammed from Saudi Arabia”

Iran’s Arabic TV said “jammed from Saudi Arabia”

Text of report in English by Iranian newspaper Iran Daily website on 17 March

The signal of [Iranian state-run, Arabic-language] Al-Alam satellite TV network has been plagued by jamming across the Middle East and North Africa and the electronic interference reportedly is from Saudi Arabia.

The Tehran-based Arabic-language TV, whose coverage of developments in crisis-hit Bahrain has been widely watched in the Arab world, first reported jamming on its [Arabsat-operated] Badr 5 transponder on Tuesday [15 March] evening and later on Badr 6 transponder early Wednesday morning, Press TV reported.

The jamming is reportedly caused by equipment capable of simultaneously interfering with Al-Alam’s frequencies on the Badr (formerly known as Arabsat) satellite [at 26 degrees East].

The report comes after Saudi troops forced their way into Salmaniya Hospital on Wednesday and prevented doctors, nurses and relatives of patients from leaving or entering the building. Several patients undergoing treatment in the hospital were injured in clashes with the police.

Bahraini police killed at least five protesters and injured dozens more on Wednesday as they assaulted a peaceful protest camp in the capital’s Pearl Square.

The attack occurred two days after Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar dispatched troops to the diminutive Persian Gulf kingdom to silence anti-government protests.

The foreign military intervention in Bahrain was a source of concern to UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who has called for a meaningful and broad-based national dialogue. The UN official urged Bahrain’s neighbours and the international community to support a dialogue process and an environment conducive to credible reform in Bahrain.

(Source: Iran Daily website, Tehran, in English 17 Mar 11 via BBC Monitoring)

Ethiopia Accused of Detaining Activists to Deter Uprising

Ethiopia Accused of Detaining Activists to Deter Uprising

Ethiopia has detained dozens of political activists as part of what opposition groups say is a crackdown aimed at preventing a North African or Middle Eastern style popular uprising. Our correspondent in Addis Ababa says the crackdown is focused on the politically sensitive Oromia region, home to more than one third of the country’s population.


Oromo opposition leaders say as many as 100 of their party members have been arrested in federal police sweeps over the past two weeks. They say many of those detained are charged with minor offenses such as quarreling with neighbors.

Bekele Gerba, deputy leader of the Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement says the arrests have spread fear among opposition activists in Ethiopia’s largest region.

"Anyone who speaks the language and does not belong to the ruling party is a suspect and can be taken to prison any time," said Bekele Gerba. "They want to show, if you don’t belong to us or you happen to support any opposition, this is your fate tomorrow. This is how we are going to drag you into prison. So people are intimidated now."

Bekele says opposition groups see the crackdown as a warning to anyone hoping to inspire a popular uprising like those sweeping other countries in the region.

"They are worried about what is going on around the world and what is happening to dictators around the world, and it is because of that that mass arrest and intimidation are going around," he said.

Oromia region officials flatly rejected any political motive behind the arrests. Spokesman Mesfin Assefa says the government respects people’s right to political dissent.

"There is rule of law in this country," said Mesfin Assefa. "There is due process of law. Everybody who violates the law or who breaches the trust of public will be liable. If certain guys commit crime, they will be liable for their offenses."

The arrests come at a time when government officials are admittedly nervous about unrest in the region. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi this month said he was especially worried about political turmoil in Yemen, just 150 kilometers from Ethiopia’s northern border. Mr. Meles said some domestic opposition groups were trying to incite a copycat uprising.

"We are aware that some parties who are legally operating in Ethiopia are praying this happens, and maybe playing a few games to try to accelerate such an event," said Prime Minister Zenawi. "So we are watching these issues carefully."

A sign of the government’s growing unease has been a partial resumption of jamming of VOA language service broadcasts to Ethiopia. The broadcasts are often jammed before Ethiopia’s elections, but the jamming stops after the voting.

Opposition leader Bekele says recent broadcast have been audible, except for loud noises that disrupt the signal when political issues are discussed.

"We have a lot of problem even to listen to the VOA," he said. "The jamming. There are experts who are standing by and ready to jam the wave every time if there is any political issue. Immediately the jamming starts. It has become virtually impossible to listen to the VOA on the radio. It is only possible on the Arabsat satellite."

VOA last year began broadcasts to Ethiopia by the Arabsat satellite after Prime Minister Meles authorized jamming its short wave radio signals. The VOAnews.com website is also blocked to Ethiopian internet users.

VOA is the only international radio service broadcasting in three main Ethiopian languages, Amharic, Afan Oromo and Tigrayan.

2011年3月23日水曜日

BBC Russian radio hits the off switch after 65 years

BBC Russian radio hits the off switch after 65 years

BBC Russian broadcast from 1950s Anatol Goldberg, who ran the service (second from the left), was removed in 1958 after a public campaign to discredit him by parts of the British Establishment and a right-wing magazine

Related Stories

At the end of this week, the BBC's Russian Service will close its radio frequencies for good.

The Russian Service began broadcasting to the Soviet Union in 1946 and quickly established a reputation with Soviet listeners, in the brief period before the onset of the Cold War.

From 1949 until 1987, the jamming of the signal by the Soviet authorities consumed vast amounts of money and technical expertise. For many years, a significant part of the USSR's entire radio broadcasting system was devoted to blocking transmissions from abroad.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn Alexander Solzhenitsyn insisted the BBC should not endow the Kremlin with a sense of legitimacy

The BBC's Russian Service was blocked selectively and varyingly. However, jamming was never totally effective, and listening to the Russian Service as well as other western broadcasters had, by the 1970s, become a ubiquitous phenomenon among the Soviet urban intelligentsia.

'Soft' on Kremlin

This week, the Russian Service is playing out audio postcards from listeners, revealing how they listened, and what it meant to them. One especially memorable episode comes from a listener in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, explaining how her family learned of the assassination of President Kennedy from the Russian Service's news broadcasts.

The Soviet authorities had started broadcasting in foreign languages earlier - in 1929. There was never any ambiguity about its purpose. Indeed, the Great Soviet Encyclopaedia states it "serves as a powerful weapon in the propaganda of Communist ideology, a highly effective way to speedily inform the toilers in foreign countries about life in the Soviet Union".

BBC Russian Service

  • Began broadcasting 26 March 1946
  • Jamming starts April 1949
  • During Cold War, millions of Russians listened by shortwave despite Soviet jamming
  • From 1992, Radio Russia broadcast several BBC programmes every week
  • By 1999, audience of 6m
  • FM broadcasts Nov 2006 halted following political pressure
  • Broadcasts continue on medium wave in major cities, shortwave and via satellite
  • End of radio frequencies 26 March 2011

There was no pretence that the output of foreign language broadcasting - Inoveshchaniye - was an honest or necessarily accurate reflection of Soviet life.

The ideological conflict between East and West had a direct impact on the BBC Russian Service. On several occasions, over the decades, it was accused of being too soft on the Kremlin.

The persecuted dissident writer, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, insisted over the years that it should not endow the Soviet regime with a sense of legitimacy.

The respected Anatol Goldberg, who ran the service, was removed in 1958 after a public campaign to discredit him by parts of the British Establishment and a right-wing magazine. Decades later, in the aftermath of the murder in London of Alexander Litvinenko, the service again faced accusations that it was soft on Russian official statements and positions. It strongly denied the accusations, citing the need to work to the BBC's editorial standards.

Media personality
Seva Novgorodtsev Many BBC presenters, like Seva Novgorodtsev, were household names in Russia

The BBC's Russian radio programmes evolved over time, but it was the opening up of the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of perestroika and glasnost that provided a massive leap forward. Mr Gorbachev said he had been a long-term listener. Suddenly, there was access to interviews and opinions from Russia itself.

Many of the Russian Service's presenters were household names in Russia and the countries once part of the USSR. In particular, Seva Novgorodtsev, who was one of the Soviet Union's first rock DJs and who opened up the western music scene to Russian listeners, remains a much-loved media personality in Russia.

The service recently celebrated his 70th birthday with a memorable evening hosted by him in St Petersburg. It attracted a great deal of local media attention.

In its heyday, the Russian Service provided a full range of news and current affairs, analysis, musical, medical, scientific, cultural and religious programmes. In the past week, the Russian Service has revived some outstanding material from the archives: an interview with Paul McCartney and a ground-breaking hour-long, live studio interview with Margaret Thatcher, answering questions from listeners across the Soviet Union.

It was an early, highly successful example of interactivity. A much more recent example was a live broadcast with students at Moscow State University, looking at the legacy of the USSR's collapse 20 years later.

One memorable quote came from the famous TV presenter, Vladimir Molchanov, telling us that such a debate would have been impossible in Soviet times - and it would also be impossible on state-controlled national television today, even if the Russian internet remains uncensored.

Cooling relations

In post-Soviet Russia, as Russia's own media blossomed and modernised, partnerships were sealed with Russian stations, some of them with nationwide FM networks.

The BBC hoped to access a much wider radio audience with its mix of BBC standards and expertise. However, with the cooling of British-Russian political links in recent years, the strategy was revealed to be vulnerable. One after another, often without explanation, partner stations in Russia announced they would no longer collaborate. This cut off a big chunk of the audience, in a country where people will not return to the culture of short-wave listening.

Over recent years, the Russian Service has invested heavily in bbcrussian.com, boosting its audio-visual content, interactivity, as well as its presence in international and Russian social media.

The context and depth of BBC material will continue to boost the service's coverage of key regional and global stories.

The BBC Russian Service goes on air for the last time on 26th March. However, the BBC's Russian output will continue on bbcrussian.com, where two radio programmes will be broadcast every Monday to Friday and one will be broadcast on Saturdays and Sundays.

2011年3月19日土曜日

Iran’s Arabic TV said “jammed from Saudi Arabia”

Iran’s Arabic TV said “jammed from Saudi Arabia”

Text of report in English by Iranian newspaper Iran Daily website on 17 March

The signal of [Iranian state-run, Arabic-language] Al-Alam satellite TV network has been plagued by jamming across the Middle East and North Africa and the electronic interference reportedly is from Saudi Arabia.

The Tehran-based Arabic-language TV, whose coverage of developments in crisis-hit Bahrain has been widely watched in the Arab world, first reported jamming on its [Arabsat-operated] Badr 5 transponder on Tuesday [15 March] evening and later on Badr 6 transponder early Wednesday morning, Press TV reported.

The jamming is reportedly caused by equipment capable of simultaneously interfering with Al-Alam’s frequencies on the Badr (formerly known as Arabsat) satellite [at 26 degrees East].

The report comes after Saudi troops forced their way into Salmaniya Hospital on Wednesday and prevented doctors, nurses and relatives of patients from leaving or entering the building. Several patients undergoing treatment in the hospital were injured in clashes with the police.

Bahraini police killed at least five protesters and injured dozens more on Wednesday as they assaulted a peaceful protest camp in the capital’s Pearl Square.

The attack occurred two days after Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar dispatched troops to the diminutive Persian Gulf kingdom to silence anti-government protests.

The foreign military intervention in Bahrain was a source of concern to UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who has called for a meaningful and broad-based national dialogue. The UN official urged Bahrain’s neighbours and the international community to support a dialogue process and an environment conducive to credible reform in Bahrain.

(Source: Iran Daily website, Tehran, in English 17 Mar 11 via BBC Monitoring)

2011年3月1日火曜日

Libyan Authorities Jam Rusiya Al-Yaum Signal

Libyan Authorities Jam Rusiya Al-Yaum Signal

MOSCOW, Feb. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- RT's Arabic channel Rusiya al-Yaum, broadcast in Libya via the Nilesat (AB4) satellite, is being jammed.

According to RRsat Global Communications Network, a satellite TV provider, several attempts have been made to jam the Rusiya al-Yaum signal, broadcast via the open channel of the Nilesat (AB4) satellite. The company says Libyan authorities are jamming the signal to deprive the people of Libya of access to independent and unbiased coverage of events in the country and wider Middle East.

Rusiya al-Yaum, Russia's first news channel in Arabic, was launched in May 2007. It is freely available via satellite in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. According to Nielsen research, Rusiya al-Yaum has an audience of over 5 million viewers in Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The channel is available online at arabic.rt.com. Rusiya al-Yaum's best news stories and shows are also available on the channel's YouTube stream.

Website: www.RT.com

CONTACT: Ksenia Bregadze, +7-495-926-2450, kvbregadze@rttv.ru

SOURCE RusInfoService

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2011年2月21日月曜日

Libya suspected of jamming Lebanese news channels

Libya suspected of jamming Lebanese news channels
By Patrick Galey
Daily Star staff
Monday, February 21, 2011

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BEIRUT: Lebanese satellite news channels were hit as part of a sustained blocking attack which jammed several regional stations over the weekend, preventing the broadcast of pictures showing unrest and violence in Libya.

Caretaker Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas told The Daily Star that an organized and sophisticated blocking attack had prevented several channels, including NBN, Al-Jadeed and Al-Manar, from being viewed in Lebanon. He blamed officials in Libya for barring regional news channels, including Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television, which was also targeted.

Two network providers – Arabsat and Nilesat – came under what an Al-Jazeera spokesperson called a “sophisticated” blocking attack late Friday, which involved scrambling certain channels’ frequency width.

“The two networks have been subject to a blocking of emissions,” Nahhas said. “On Arabsat it was intermittent and we took measures to overcome the blocking. We reached an agreement with Arabsat to [broadcast channels] in different frequencies.”

Caretaker Information Minister Tarek Mitri accused Libya of violating the right of Arab viewers to access information on region-wide protests.

Hezbollah, which owns Al-Manar, slammed the “flagrant assault” on Lebanese media organizations.

“It’s necessary that officials take measures to protect media corporations and prevent jamming assault to ensure their freedom and independence in doing their job,” the party said in a statement.

The National Audiovisual Council (NAC) accused Libya of attempting to impose a media blackout to prevent the world seeing the atrocities its security forces are accused of perpetrating.


“The recent jamming that the Lebanese satellite channels experienced on Arabsat and Nilesat is considered piracy and a violation of freedom of the media and Arab viewers’ right to knowledge,” an NAC statement said.

“What the Libyan forces did … reveals [Libya’s] official stance in its involvement in the kidnap of Musa al-Sadr and this is more of a testament to their heinous acts and violations of normal values related to human rights, general freedom and dignity,” it added.

Sadr, the influential Shiite cleric, disappeared in Libya following a meeting with Gadhafi in August 1978. Relations between Libya and Lebanon have been frosty ever since his disappearance.

Libyan unrest has left over 100 pro-democracy protestors dead, according to human rights groups.

Bint Jbeil MP Hassan Fadlallah, president of the parliamentary Media and Communications Committee, met with Nahhas and NBN CEO Kassim Soueid to discuss solutions to the jams.

Nahhas said information available to his ministry suggested the blocking activity had come from Libya.

“The source of the blocking has clearly been organized. We understand that [jamming] originated in Libya and we asked Nilesat to remedy the situation,” Nahhas said.

He said his ministry had “strong” suspicions the jamming could have been sanctioned by the Libyan state.

News channels on Arabsat and Nilesat could be subject to blocking until the source of jamming frequencies could be properly identified, he added.


Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=125129#ixzz1EbXVbDpU
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

2011年2月17日木曜日

Deutsche Welle satellite transmissions jammed

Communications | 15.02.2011

Deutsche Welle satellite transmissions jammed

Deutsche Welle has detected an interference in its signals from the Hotbird 8 satellite. The source is unconfirmed, but areas in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including Iran, are affected.

Engineers at Deutsche Welle detected interference of its transmissions coming from the Hotbird 8 satellite beginning Monday at 13:07 UTC.

It is believed the DW transmissions are being "jammed" by foreign signals, though the source of the signals can not be confirmed.

Deutsche Welle last experienced jamming in February 2010, which was believed to have emanated in Iran.

The disturbances are affecting DW-TV Europe, DW-TV Arabia, as well as very high frequency (VHF) and shortwave signals in regions including Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia.

TV live streaming on Deutsche Welle's multi-language news website is also affected by the disturbances.

To ensure the transfer of Deutsche Welle content, alternate transmission services have been arranged for Internet and satellite broadcasting. Partner stations that rebroadcast DW have been informed.

Author: Birgit Görtz / dfm
Editor: Martin Kuebler

2011年2月12日土曜日

Iran jamming BBC Persian Television

Iran jamming BBC Persian Television

The BBC can confirm that its Persian Television service is being jammed from within Iran following coverage of the political unrest in Egypt.

BBC Persian TV has been working closely with the BBC's Arabic TV service to broadcast extensive rolling news from Egypt including many live crosses, and it is believed that it is the impact of this coverage which has prompted the jamming which began on the evening of Thursday 10 February.

Other programmes that may have caused concern within Iran include a broadcast yesterday where the BBC's Persian and Arabic services joined together for a special interactive show in which Iranian and Egyptian callers exchanged views.

Many Iranian viewers said they were watching events unfold in Cairo and elsewhere in the region extremely closely.

Peter Horrocks, Director BBC Global News, said: "This jamming should stop immediately. The events in Egypt are being viewed by the entire world and it is wrong that our significant Iranian audience is being denied impartial news and information from BBC Persian TV.

"This is a regional story that Persian TV have been covering thoroughly and it is clear from our audience feedback that Iranian people want to know what is happening in Egypt.

"The BBC will not stop covering Egypt and it will continue to broadcast to the Iranian people."

The heavy electronic jamming is of satellites the BBC uses in the Middle East to broadcast the BBC Persian TV signal to Iran. Satellite technicians have traced that interference and have confirmed it is coming from Iran.

BBC Persian television launched in 2009 and has suffered similar deliberate attempts to interfere with its signal intermittently ever since.

BBC Persian TV continues to stream live online.

Notes to Editors

Friday 11 February is the anniversary of the Iranian revolution and this, coupled with opposition leader Karubi being placed under house arrest, has meant protests have been called over the next couple of days.

BBC Persian is the BBC's integrated news and information service for Persian-speakers. It is available on air and on demand 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is designed to reach audiences on radio, television, the internet – on bbcpersian.com – mobile phones and handheld computers in whatever way best suits the audience.

BBC Persian is one of the oldest of the BBC's non-English language services. Launched on 28 December 1940, it has evolved into the Persian-speaking world's leading international broadcaster, covering the political, social and cultural issues that matter to its diverse audiences in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and across the world.

With its new TV presence, BBC Persian is bringing the world to Persian-speaking audiences – reporting the news wherever it leads.

The latest news from BBC Persian is now available on mobile phones, PDAs and other wireless handheld devices.

PC