Maldives - Alerts
Raajje TV was attacked just days after police accused the station of making false allegations against security forces.
Journalists have been attacked by protesters and police during demonstrations calling for President Mohamed Waheed Hassan to hold elections.
Police detained private TV station Raajje TV's news chief Asward Ibrahim Waheed and Cable News Maldives journalist Ali Naseer during protests on 9 July.
The Maldives Journalists' Association (MJA) has expressed concern over the delay in the granting of a licence to Raajje TV, citing it as a breach of the guidelines for permitting plural sources of news and opinions for the people of the Indian Ocean republic.
The authorities are urged to not rule out the possibility that the attack on Ismail "Hilath" Rasheed is linked to his journalistic activity as he has made many enemies through his outspoken blogging.
After members of the police and army linked to the opposition staged a mutiny and forced President Mohamed Nasheed to resign, members of the police also stormed the headquarters of the state TV station and took control there.
DhiTV was attacked on the early hours of 26 January after the station had broadcast live coverage of opposition protests at the recent arrest of a judge by the Special Forces the previous evening.
Ismail Kilath “Hilath” Rasheed’s blog was closed on 19 November on the grounds that it contained anti-Islamic material.
Ismail Kilath "Hilath" Rasheed was arrested because of his involvement in a "silent protest" for more religious tolerance that was held on Human Rights Day.
According to Ismail Khilath Rasheed, the Islamic affairs ministry had his blog in its sights because he is a Sufi Muslim, not a Sunni like most Maldivians, and has always been critical of religious fundamentalism.
The Maldives Journalists' Association has protested a decision by police to summon editor Mohamed Jinah Ali for questioning regarding the authenticity of a news report.
Two journalists from the daily "Haveeru" were summoned for interrogation after the newspaper carried a story about a pornographic video racket.
The Maldives Journalists' Association said the journalists were reporting on a protest organised by the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party.
"The physical and verbal attacks on media organisations . . . could create an environment that would be adverse to press freedom in the country," says IFJ.
The Maldives parliament passed an amendment to the Penal Code abolishing five articles related to criminal defamation.
RSF urges the Maldivian authorities and political parties to show full respect for journalists, including those working for media outlets that do not share their views.
ARTICLE 19 calls on the Maldivian authorities to abolish the crime of defamation, replacing it with appropriate civil defamation rules.
(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders calls on the police in the capital Malé to explain exactly why they arrested "Minivan Daily" photographer Ibrahim Jauhuree on 30 March 2008 for allegedly "harassing a police officer." He is reportedly still being held in Malé. His arrest comes two weeks after he told colleagues and superiors that a police officer had threatened to arrest him if he did not hand over a video of parliamentarian Ahmed Shafeeq being beaten by police in 2006.
(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders calls on the secretary of the Maldives parliament, the People's Majlis, to rescind a ban on reporter Lushan Saeed of the daily "Miadhu" from entering the parliament building until the end of the year. Saeed, who specialises in parliamentary affairs, was notified of the ban in a letter from the parliament's secretariat on 17 September 2007.
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - The following is an ARTICLE 19 press release:
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