Press TV website seized by US government
Yusef Jalali
Press TV, Tehran
"This website has been seized"; this message appeared on the websites of Press TV and a number of other Iranian and regional news outlets on Tuesday.
Citing US sanctions laws for the seizure, the message included the seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Department of Commerce.
The websites of Iran's Arabic news channel, al-Alam, Yemen’s al-Masirah TV channel and Bahrain's Lualua television network were also among the targeted outlets. The US government has not officially commented on the matter.
Press TV was launched in 2007 with the motto of "The Voice of the Voiceless". It tries to shed light on major regional and global issues from perspectives that are either ignored or distorted by mainstream media.
Observers say the US government's move to pull the plug on Press TV is part of Washington’s attempts to silence Iranian media because they "debunk US lies".
Over the past years, Press TV has repeatedly fallen victim to censorship on multiple fronts, including Twitter and Instagram besides Google and its services, without any advance notice.
In July 2013, it was forced off the air in the UK, after media regulator Ofcom revoked its license for allegedly breaching the Communications Act. Shortly after, it was also taken off air in North America.
Observers say the US move to close down a long list of news outlets is a blatant example of the fact that America could not tolerate opposing voices.
This is not the first time Press TV is targeted by the US and perhaps it will not be the last time; something that can safely be interpreted as an attempt to muzzle the truth.
Fortunately, Press TV has had its plan B, and its website is now available on .ir domain. So find us on Presstv.ir.
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This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
