Doha: Al-Jazeera satellite television channel on Monday accused Libya's intelligence services of jamming its broadcasts in the country where demonstrators have been protesting against the regime.
The Qatar-based network said it was ‘able to determine the source of the jamming of its broadcasts which began on February 2 and continued intermittently, but coincided with the channel's broadcasts on Libya.’
In a statement, Al-Jazeera said the jamming ‘originated south of the capital of Tripoli from a Libyan intelligence technical administration building’ headed by a general.
The building was ‘located in front of Salah al-Din hospital in an area of the same name, in Al-Khadra al-Hadhba district’ it said, adding it made this conclusion from ‘accurate studies carried out by specialised companies.’
Al-Jazeera channels have been subject to jamming for weeks, with an increase since Friday.
The pan-Arab television network has announced broadcasts on new frequencies from satellite operators Nilesat, Arabsat and Hot Bird from Europe to cope with the problem.
It also accused Libyan authorities of blocking its ‘www.aljazeera.net’ website throughout the country.
Anti-regime demonstrations in Libya kicked off on February 15, after protest movements in Tunisia and Egypt ousted those countries' long-time rulers.
Broadcasts from Al-Jazeera were suspended on Nilesat during anti-regime protests in Egypt, which it covered extensively.
The Egyptian government also pulled press credentials for its employees, a number of whom were also arrested, usually briefly.