UANI Renews Call for Sanctions on South African Telecom Company MTN and Calls on U.S. Congress to Hold Investigative Hearings Following More Evidence of MTN’s Impropriety

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Monday, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) called on members of U.S. Congress to hold hearings on MTN, and subpoena MTN Group President and CEO Sifiso Dabengwa.

MTN, a South African telecom giant, has repeatedly engaged in sanctionable activity, high-order corruption, and human rights violations in Iran as a result of its partnership with the Iranian regime.

On Friday, South Africa’s Mail and Guardian published the article “National Anti-MTN adverts get local gag,” revealing that South African advertisers are fearful of running a UANI billboard in Johannesburg highlighting MTN’s irresponsible work in Iran.

Said UANI CEO, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace:

MTN’s partnership with the Iranian regime has repeatedly resulted in sanctionable activity, corruption, and human rights violations in Iran. Now, the latest in MTN’s litany of egregious behavior is the repression of free speech in South Africa.

As the Mail and Guardian reports, South African advertisers are fearful of publishing anything critical of MTN. MTN’s actions in both Iran and South Africa, such as shutting off text messaging and chilling opposing views, do not foster free expression: they stifle it. MTN’s employees and customers should have the opportunity to see UANI’s MTN billboard.

MTN is a direct threat to U.S. national security interests and the human rights of the Iranian people. Congress should hold hearings on MTN, and subpoena its executives, including CEO Sifiso Dabengwa. Mr. Dabengwa and others must answer for MTN’s actions, including its subversions of U.S. sanctions, and its outrageous behavior of pressuring a South African diplomat into not voting to refer Iran to the UN Security Council.

We call for a global boycott of MTN’s products and services.

MTN was a charter member of UANI's Iran Business Registry, launched in 2009, and a continuing focus of UANI’s Tech & Telecom Campaign. MTN is the primary partner of the Iranian regime's mobile telecommunications networks, as a 49% shareholder in MTN Irancell, the rest of which is owned by the regime itself. MTN has carried out orders from the regime to shut off text messaging and Skype during times of political protest, and reportedly has a floor in its Tehran headquarters where Iranian military officials compile and access tracking data.

Click here to read the Mail and Guardian article, “National Anti-MTN adverts get local gag.”
Click here to read UANI's February 29 letter to MTN.
Click here to read UANI's January 25 letter to MTN.
Click here and here to see UANI's MTN advertisements.
Click here to send a message to MTN.