Destruction of One Hundred Thousand Satellite Receivers in West Tehran

Less than two weeks after the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance spoke about the need to amend the law prohibiting the use of satellite networks, the head of the Basij Organization stated during the destruction of over one hundred thousand satellite receivers that 'anyone in a cultural position must be honest and straightforward, not just say what people want to hear.' According to Fars News Agency, on Sunday morning, August 3, one hundred thousand satellite reception devices that had recently been confiscated from citizens' homes were destroyed in West Tehran in the presence of Mohammad Reza Naqdi, head of the Basij Organization. This action took place while Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran, had called on Tuesday, July 22, for the amendment of the law prohibiting the broadcast of movie trailers on satellite networks, stating that at least 70% of the Iranian population owns satellite dishes. The Minister added that 'satellites can be used to promote cultural goods, but this can only happen if the use of satellites is legally permitted.' He further noted that currently, the use of satellites is 'completely illegal, yet the majority of people use them. In fact, at least 70% of the population is acting against the law.' However, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, on Sunday, addressed 'those in cultural positions,' stating that 'we must not lie about the culture of society.' The head of the Basij added: 'Some individuals use the excuse of freedom of information to justify their use of satellites; however, we do not oppose the freedom of information and for years, Basij members have requested that all bank account numbers of officials be made available to the public, but the information they speak of is related to corruption.' Naqdi's remarks refer to the recent controversy surrounding the high salaries of some officials in Hassan Rouhani's government. In this context, the Minister of Culture of Iran stated that the law prohibiting the advertisement of films on satellites must be amended. Additionally, one of the presenters of satellite networks was arrested in Mashhad, highlighting social trends in confronting the authoritarian religious government.