Yarmouk TV to stop transmitting from Jordan

Sources within the management of Yarmouk TV, which is close to the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, have told Al-Ghad newspaper that they expect local companies and studios to end their cooperation with the channel. They also announced that the channel’s management is “seriously considering, and has begun procedures for the purpose of, moving its operations and resuming transmission from outside the kingdom.”

The sources, who asked to remain anonymous, explained that Yarmouk TV, which officially closed its offices in Jordan eight months ago because it lacking an official licence, has resorted to broadcasting and working by means of contracts with local companies and studios for the purpose of producing and recording its programmes before re-transmitting them via satellite.

“The local companies and studios have recently come under official pressures in order to stop serving Yarmouk TV,” which means the “channel will have to stop broadcasting from Amman.”

Denouncing the government’s stance, the sources expected transmission to stop today, Monday, or perhaps tomorrow.

According to an informed official source, the government considers Yarmouk TV not to be officially registered in Jordan and “the provision of services by locally licensed parties with an unlicensed channel is illegal.”

The source told Al-Ghad that the Visual and Audio Authority prohibits “the production, transmission and uploading of programmes without official permission.”

The Director of the Visual and Audio Authority, Dr Amjad Al-Qadi, said that the decision to ban the transmission of unlicensed channels applies to Yarmouk TV as well as others. In the meantime, he criticised what he called “sub-letting”, in a hint to resorting to transmission via third parties without legal permission.

The recent action against Al-Yarmouk satellite channel comes at the time when a political crisis is raging between the government and the Muslim Brotherhood, which is accused by the government of “having become officially unlicensed after the [breakaway] Muslim Brotherhood Society applied for an official license and after the latter demanded the transfer of all properties and estates of the unlicensed group to it.”

By order of the Administrative Governors, the main headquarters of the Brotherhood in Abdali and several of the group’s offices in various districts have been closed, which affects all the group’s branches.

Translated from Al-Ghad, 18 April 2016.