Ethiopian Satellite Television jammed again

Amsterdam-based Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) has published the following press release on its website, dated 26 July:

“For the past 24 hours, Ethiopian Satellite Television (ESAT) broadcasts and transmissions in Ethiopia, the Middle East and Europe have been disrupted for the third time since it began service in May 2010. Along with ESAT, the satellite service of state-controlled Ethiopian Television was also knocked of the air.

“Our evidence on the source of the illegal signal interference points exclusively in the direction of the Ethiopian Government. Beginning on July 20, the satellite system carrying ESAT signals was bombarded by intense and sustained radio frequency interference disrupting a whole set of services provided by various public and private entities. The evidence gathered by ESAT shows that the Ethiopian Government in illegal collaboration with certain parties in the satellite business attempted to isolate and disrupt ESAT signals. Appartently, that effort backfired and knocked off the broadcast signals of the Ethiopian Government.

“When ESAT resumed its services after it was disrupted the second time, a request was made to the satellite provided to place ESAT on the same frequency [sic] as Ethiopian Television Service. This would ensure that any interference in ESAT signals would also affect Ethiopian Television transmissions. The Ethiopian Government by attempting to knock out ESAT ended up knocking itself off the air.

“ESAT in cooperation with other impacted parties shall seek appropriate legal remedies to stop the Ethiopian Government from engaging in patently illegal interference in satellite communications.

“ESAT continues to receive messages of public support and encouragement for its mission to bring news, information and entertainment to the Ethiopian public. As we have done recently when our satellite services were jammed, we again wish to extend our appreciation to the friends and supporters of ESAT. We wish to assure our viewers that we will seek all legal and technological methods to overcome any interference directed at ESAT programming by the Ethiopian Government. We ask again for the support and patience of our viewers as we continue to struggle to go back on the air.”

(Source: ESAT)