Libya has been accused of blocking broadcasts of two international satellites (Eutelsat's Hotbird and Loral Skynet's Telsat 12), interrupting signals of several TV and radio stations serving Europe as well as some American diplomatic, military, and intelligence communications. The primary target is thought to be Sowt Libya (Voice of Libya), a Britishand Arab-owned commercial radio station broadcasting on human rights issues to Libya. The first jamming incident occurred on 19 September 2005; also jammed were the signals of CNN International, BBC World, and several other stations using Eutelsat's Hotbird satellite. The jamming ended after 50 minutes when Sowt Libya went off the air. The radio station then began re-broadcasting several days later as Sowt Al-amal (Voice of Hope) from the US using Loral Skynet's Telstar 12 satellite. Jamming resumed less than an hour after Sowt Al-amal started broadcasting, blocking several European stations but not affecting Sowt Al-amal itself. The station voluntarily suspended its broadcasts and the jamming signal, which stopped broadcasting, was sourced to a transceiver in Tripoli. The issue is reportedly being addressed by US and UK diplomatic officials who are calling on Libya to investigate and apprehend the perpetrators and are considering filing a complaint with the International Telecommunication Union, of which Libya is a member. The jamming succeeded in disrupting US military communications in the Mediterranean, demonstrating the use of ground stations to temporarily negate both commercial and military satellite functions.

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Collard-Wexler, Simon, Thomas Graham et al. Space Security 2006. Waterloo, Ontario: Space Security Index, July 2006. [ 26 quotes ] [ page 138 ]