International satellite broadcasts disrupted in order to jam London-based radio station

Reporters Without Borders today called for Libya to be hauled before the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) after British and US diplomats accused it of deliberately blocking broadcasting on two international satellites in order to jam a London-based radio station that tried to beam programmes about human rights and free expression to Libya. “Not content to silence its own press, the Libyan government also targets foreign news media that dare to criticise it,” the press freedom organisation said. “But in the process of silencing the British and Arab-owned radio station Sowt Alamel, Libya also jammed many other broadcasts and it should therefore have to answer for its actions before the ITU, of which it is a member.” The jamming of the first satellite began on 19 September, the day Sowt Alamel began broadcasting to Libya. The station was jammed just 10 minutes after it went on the air. It subsequently resumed broadcasting via the United States on the Telstar 12 satellite. The jamming disrupted the broadcasts of such TV stations as CNN International and BBC World, US sports networks and 23 radio stations. Many of the stations affected have only recently learned about the jamming. US military, diplomatic and FBI communications were also hit. An anonymous e-mail message sent to a company linked to station said the satellite was jammed because it was carrying Sowt Alamel's programming. “This channel broadcasts terrorist propaganda, intended to spread terrorist ideas amongst the listeners' minds,” the message said. Sowt Alamel finally decided to suspend its broadcasts. Ofcom, the British telecommunications regulator, is considering filing a complaint with the ITU. The British and US ambassadors in Tripoli have meanwhile already raised the issue with the Libyan authorities.