WONG:
Following the report issued by Reporters Without Borders last Friday, which showed that taking NTDTV's satellite signal to China off the air was a politically-motivated. European Parliament members, Reporters Without Borders and the International Federation of Journalists held a press conference together with NTDTV at the European Parliament in Brussels.
STORY:
Members of the European Parliament say they will pressure Eutelsat to restore NTDTV's broadcast into China as soon as possible.
[Marco Cappato; Member of European Parliament]:
"We are always discussing how to help information going to Chinese people. Now the opposite is happening, there is a European entity helping information not going to the Chinese people."
Vice president of the European parliament Edward McMillan Scott has demanded French president Sarkozy to force Eutelsat to restore NTDTV's broadcast into China.
[Edward McMillan Scott; Vice-President of European Parliament]:
"I believe that it's most important today that Eutelsat is forced to allow NTDTV to go on broadcasting."
Coming from a post-communist country, Polish Member of the European Parliament Hanna Foltyn-Kubicka says she knows from her own experience how important it is to have uncensored information. She finds it scandalous that Eutelsat compromised and disregarded human rights for money.
German European Parliament Member, Helga Trüpel, says that the Chinese authorities broke their promise to open China to the outside world. According to her it is more about closing down, than opening up.
[Helga Trüpel; Member of European Parliament]:
"It's a question of self esteem because these are our fundamental values and therefore as Europeans we should defend and maintain them."
More then 50 Members of the European Parliament have co-signed a letter addressed to Eutelsat's CEO Giuliano Berretta, calling him to restore NTDTV's broadcast. According to Italian Member Marco Cappato, this is only the beginning of their efforts.
NTD Brussels, Belgium.
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