Nilesat, Arabsat stop broadcasting Syria state TV channels

 

Satellite companies Nilesat and Arabsat have stopped broadcasting Syrian television stations.

Wed Sep 5, 2012 3:58PM GMT

Satellite companies Nilesat and Arabsat have stopped broadcasting Syrian television stations in a clear act of hostility against the Damascus government.

The operators took Syria’s state television channel as well as pro-government channels al-Ekhbaryah and al-Dunya off air on Wednesday shortly after a meeting of Arab League ministers in Cairo.

In June, the Arab League asked satellite operators Nilesat and Arabsat to shut down Syrian TV signals.

The operators, however, continue broadcasting Syria’s anti-Damascus television channels.

The Syrian government has slammed the move as an attempt to silence the Syrians, stressing that it is in violation of media ethics.

It is believed that by removing Syrian channels from Nilesat and Arabsat, Western-backed anti-Syria channels will gain absolute control of media with regard to covering events unfolding in Syria.

Syria has been the scene of deadly unrest since mid-March, 2011 and many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

While the West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of being behind the violence, Damascus blames ''outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups'' for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on August 1 that the country is engaged in a ''crucial and heroic'' battle that will determine the destiny of the nation.

HM/JR/AZ

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