Bin Jeddou said the satellite communications operator has suspended providing services to the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen television channel, arguing the channel offended a friendly Arab country, in clear reference to Saudi Arabia.
During a press conference, Jaddou pointed to pressure from certain Arab countries, which, according to him, asked the Lebanese government to close the channel and asked Al-Mayadeen not to deal with the Saudi war on Yemen as a humanitarian issue and refrain from covering the Saudi strikes on Yemeni civilian targets.
Sources reported that Arabsat threatened to relocate its broadcast station from Lebanon to Jordan if Al-Mayadeen television channel was not suspended.
Reports say pressure against Al-Mayadeen increased after a guest appearing on a program broadcast by the TV criticized Saudi Arabia’s mismanagement of the Hajj rituals.
Al-Mayadeen channel journalists voiced their rejection to the pressures and demanded to respect freedom of speech, as they thanked the solidarity received by different Arab media and other international networks.
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PL-32/MNA