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Article

29 Aug 2014

Author:
Joel Schectman, Wall Street Journal (USA)

Concerns that satellite firms Intelsat & Eutelsat could be implicated in rights abuses after they return to operate in Iran

Satellite companies Intelsat and Eutelsat Communications are trying to win back business with Iran’s state-run broadcaster, after U.S. authorities allowed the companies to re-enter the country, WSJ reported. But human rights groups say Iran’s broadcaster still televises forced confessions, creating a risk to the reputations of firms that beam the broadcasts...The satellite companies are now fighting to regain the Iran business they lost to Russian and Middle Eastern competitors. But human rights groups, such as the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, say IRIB is still using its broadcasts for forced confessions, posing an awkward dilemma for the satellite providers...Satellite companies cannot be asked to monitor and filter a country’s television, said an Intelsat spokeswoman. “We are a mirror in the sky,” she said, adding that decades-old treaties obligate Intelsat to provide service to Iran. A Eutelsat spokeswoman said it’s for authorities to decide if a nation’s broadcaster should be blacklisted–the provider’s job is to comply with the laws. “We believe that’s the responsibility of regulators,”