About IFEX:

News by region:

IFEX Campaigns and Advocacy:

IFEX Email Products:

Opportunities and assistance:

Alert

"Minivan" correspondent freed after being held more than three months

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has hailed the release on 24 July 2006 of Mohamed Yushau, a correspondent of the opposition newspaper "Minivan", who had been held on a terrorism charge since 9 April after publicly opposing the leader of the atoll of Thinadhoo at a conference. He has also often written about the difficult living conditions of Maldivians.

A court ruled in May that he should be released on bail but left it to the police to set the amount. The police demanded 35,000 rufiyaas (approx. 2,165 euros), which Yushau refused to pay, calling it extortion. According to "Minivan", he was released unconditionally after a judge finally said he should be freed without any bail being required.

Reporters Without Borders recently published a full report on the situation of press freedom in the Maldives: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=17596