Iran: Hundreds of illegal satellite dishes confiscated, run over
Despite illegality, between 50%-70% of Iranian households have satellite dishes, circumnavigating censorship on some foreign media. New report documents regime's attempt to fight phenomenon
In between Iranian
President Hassan Rohani's
charm offensive
and talks of a US-Iranian reconciliation
it has been easy to forget that the Islamic Republic still puts into action practices
which attempt to create a buffer between its citizens and the exterior world.
Pictures published Sunday by the Iranian news agency ISNA document just such a practice. In the images, hundreds of satellite dishes confiscated from residents of the city of Shiraz can be seen placed in the street and then run over by an Iranian army armored personnel carrier.
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From time to time, the Iranian regime raids residential areas and confiscates the roof-top dishes. A similar operation was conducted in Shiraz and surrounding villages in June, during which some 300 dishes were confiscated.
Dishes on death row (Photo: AFP)
'Regime has failed in its bid to stop phenomena' (Photo: AFP)
According to reports in Iranian media, at the time, immediately following the raid residents quickly repurchased and installed new dishes, despite the regime's threats.
Since then, the regime has been increasingly enforcing the satellite dish ban – which has been in place since being legislated in 1994. However, despite the growing frequency of the raids, an Iranian official recently admitted that "the regime has failed in its bid to stop the phenomena."
According to some estimates, around 50%-70% of Iranian households enjoy satellite TV.
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