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November 10, 2011 at 9:58 pm 
Maryam Namazie In June this year, I spoke on yet another panel on Islam. One of the other panellists was Lauren Booth (former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s sister-in-law who has become a Muslim – err I mean Islamist).
The debate has already been posted on my blog here. However, I just came across a short clip of the debate where she is criticised for working for Press TV, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s mouthpiece. [By the way, Press TV is located in London and is an English-language station of the regime.]
Here’s the clip:
As I said in the clip, Press TV is an arm of the regime’s intelligence service – it’s not press in any way shape or form. The press is banned in Iran unless it is run and approved by the state and even then many outlets are banned for transgressing rules.
The evidence on Press TV’s collaboration with the regime is shocking. In one case, they filmed a Newsweek journalist imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin prison reading a forced ‘confession’ and knew it was forced. Bahari, who was freed after 118 days, was arrested while covering the 2009 protests in Iran and was told he would be executed if he did not confess.
Also Press TV ‘interviewed’ Iran stoning case Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani on a number of occassions and a ‘reporter’ was even heard ordering her to confess under duress.
It seems that Ofcom (the communications sector regulator) is now looking into Press TV.
About time! Shut it down already!
As an aside, I have been called to do interviews with Press TV on a number of occassions. Of course I have always refused and given them a piece of my mind. The regime would kill me a hundred times for the things I have said and done if it could get its grubby paws on me and its path is strewn with the bodies of the innumerable murdered for speaking or living 21st century lives…
If Press TV is shut down, it will be a victory for the people of Iran. Another plus of course would be that Lauren Booth and former MP George Galloway (who are so enamoured with Ahmadinejad, they needs to work for him) will lose their paycheques. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about Ken Livingstone, the former Mayor of London, as he stopped presenting his show for Press TV in March but I guess you can’t win them all.
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Lauren’s interruption is priceless. “Um.. excuse me, is exposing my blatant lies really relevant to the current discussion?” Lol.
I would wonder what her later response was, except that she pretty much had two choices. She either would have to admit that what she said earlier was wrong or (as I suspect was more likely) she’d have to deny everything you said outright. Either way, she’d have looked pretty daft. (Or did she just decide to try to leave that subject entirely and hope we’d all forget about it?)
On the new blog: “Nothing is Sacred” is pretty much my life philosophy (featured prominently on a painting I did in high school, though without the “is”), and Maryam Namazie is pretty much my favorite Persian. I hope I get some hours alone to check out every blog entry from the first, but…
On this Entry: I can’t even connect enough time to watch this video right now. Ugh. Still, expect to see more kudos from the Great American Satan when I get a chance. <3
Owned.
That is all.
Ms Booth had read to page 60in the quran (version/edition/translation unspecified) and became a muslim. Do you know if she’s got to page 61 yet?
OK, watched the video. What Almulhida said. Seconded.
On “some hours alone to check out every blog entry from the first” I didn’t realize how deep the archives were – only heard about the blog recently from Pharyngula. I’ll never get through all those posts, but I do think I’ll be combing them for videos particularly.
Excellent!
While presstv is vile it shouldn’t be shut down, because it shows the key differences if someone in Iran tried setting up a secular tv station they would get a rope necktie.
What do you mean “shut down”? Who should shut it down, where? Obviously Iran is not going to do that, so who are you talking to?
OFCOM! It is based in London!
hi just thanks for that
i have been a little confused because recently I have to say Press TV coverage has been great
Any chance that GG has helped to bring all around
in the end we want to end all wars so if regimes can be brought to meet in the middle ground of tolerance and fair play???
It is incredible that we have to go to foreign channel to get the news
Perhaps the thought “God has no Religion” sums it all up
The news today has been so mind blowing –
Obama in Oz withdrawing from Israel
Jordan and Istael to take on Syria – Together?
Chine economy about to crash
Portuguese + Greek + Irish Debt + Spanish or was it Italian debt = wipe out of eu banks
2012 rolls on
Could it all have the peaceful end we dream of
God clearly is willing
[...] the decision ‘a clear example of censorship’ but it’s not. As I have said before Press TV is an arm of the regime’s intelligence service – it’s not press in any way shape or form. The press is banned in Iran unless it is run and [...]
[...] has called the decision ‘a clear example of censorship’ but it’s not. As I have said before Press TV is an arm of the regime’s intelligence service – it’s not press in any way shape or form. The press is banned in Iran unless it is run and [...]