The Epoch Times reported on March 16th that media lobbyists and European Union MEPs supported the independent station New Tang Dynasty TV in launching legal action against the Eutelsat satellite company, because Eutelsat was going to stop broadcasting NTDTV programmes to China.
The International Journalists Union said Eutelsat has bowed to pressure from Beijing and was going to refuse the renewal of the contract to broadcast NTDTV’s programmes to China. However, Eutelsat denied that any pressures has come from Beijing, and said it was purely a business arrangement.
The International Journalist Union Chairperson Mr. White said, “With no rational explanation, we can only say it’s Eutelsat that would rather cowardly sacrifice its principles to meet the demands from Beijing, which cannot tolerate different opinions and does not allow freedom of speech.”
NTDTV director Zao Chiao said Eutelsat would end broadcasting NTDTV programmes from this week and that the legal action against Eutelsat would take place in a Paris court.
Zao Chia also said at a press conference in Brussels, “Eutelsat chose to assist Beijing to control the contents of broadcasting rather than enlarging the opportunity to historically open up the greatest Communist community in the world by freely broadcasting the TV information.”
Nonetheless, the Paris-based European telecommunication & satellite company refuted the allegation and said it was only a commercial manoeuvre after the expiry of the contract between NTDTV and Eutelsat’s agent in London.
The spokesman for Eutelsat said they have no direct business relationship with NTDTV.
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