French Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bernard Valero claimed earlier this week that the Iranian government sends digital signals to jam the satellite programs of Western satellite providers.
Mehman-Parast described the claim as "baseless", and said, "These statements are made while some Western countries have banned broadcast of Iranian television channels via their satellites in a bid to deprive the public opinion of the different countries from realities and prevent free exchange of thoughts and flow of information in the world, which is a flagrant instance of the violation of human rights and free flow of information."
Earlier this month, Tehran's Ambassador to Rome Mohammad Ali Hosseini said that the ban on the broadcast of several Iranian TV and radio channels by the European satellite service providers violates the most basic principles of the freedom of information, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Sunday.
In a flagrant violation of the freedom of speech, European satellite service providers Eutelsat SA and Intelsat ordered media services company Arqiva on October 15 to stop the broadcast of several Iranian satellite channels, including Press TV, al-Alam, Jam-e-Jam 1 and 2, Sahar 1 and 2, Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, Quran TV, and the Arabic-language al-Kawthar TV.
Speaking to Italy's official news agency, ANSA, said that the ban was "a hasty move and clearly against the basic principles of the freedom of information".
"The move was a serious alarm to the free flow of information and was an unfounded and illogical assault on those international documents in which the free flow of information and the world people's inalienable and certain right of free access and release of different thoughts and opinions has been emphasized," he said.
Following the EU move, Chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi sent a letter to French Envoy to Tehran Bruno Foucher, and voiced protest at the recent EU ban on the broadcast of Iranian satellite channels in Europe.
In his letter, Boroujerdi said that the move was "unjustifiable" and the clear violation of international law and regulations by a country which had a background of great civilization and culture.
"Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission strongly urges the French officials to take into consideration the necessity of respecting the principles of freedom and democracy and take immediate action to revise this illogical decision."
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