Author: Mohamed Naahee

Police failed to state what Nasheed was charged for: former President’s legal team

Ousted President Mohamed Nasheed’s legal team on Thursday claimed that the Maldives Police Services had failed to specify what charges Nasheed was being investigated for, after the former President was summoned to police headquarters.

Speaking to local media following the questioning, member of Nasheed’s legal team Hisaan Hussain told local media that even the police gave Nasheed the opportunity to respond to the charges, but despite repeated requests failed to explain exactly what those charges were.

Another member of Nasheed’s legal team, former Minister of Human Resources, Youth and Sports, Hassan Latheef, also made similar comments in a live interview with local TV station Raajje TV, following Nasheed’s appearance in the police station on Thursday.

He said that police did not send Nasheed a formal summoning chit, but instead sent a letter asking him to present himself at police headquarters. Latheef added that police could not have taken action if Nasheed had declined the request, but said that Nasheed wanted to cooperate with the police in their investigation.

Latheef said that during the questioning, police stated that Nasheed was a suspect for perpetrating attacks against police and police property from May 29 onwards, and claimed that all the acts were carried out under Nasheed’s orders.

“But they failed to provide us with any details of the charges. He repeatedly asked them to clarify the details of his wrongs and what damage were they speaking of,” he said.

Furthermore, Latheef said that representatives from both Police Integrity Commission (PIC) and Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) were present in the room, but claimed it was doubtful what police were intending through their presence.

“The Police Integrity Commission and Human Rights Commission of Maldives were present during the investigations. As a principle I agree it is a good thing but why just this case and not others?” he questioned.

He further alleged that the summoning was a “PR stunt” by the police and raised doubts about their intention as to why they had allowed the independent institutions to be present “specifically” for this case.

In a bid to respond the letter sent by the police, Nasheed left to police headquarters on foot from his personal residence ‘Keneryge’ at about 2:00pm last Thursday. A large number of his supporters followed him.

However, police had blocked almost all the routes to police headquarters, and Nasheed was finally able to reach the police headquarters after an hour of waiting.

Police initially refused allow his supporters to pass the police cordon, however the demonstrators insisted that they would not let Nasheed go alone past the police lines.

After a minor confrontation, Nasheed was allowed to enter along with some of his close aides and parliament members, however he still refused to proceed without the presence “of a free media”.

Following the police decision to not cooperate with local TV station Raajje TV, police had sent the station’s reporters back behind the police lines.

Latheef, recalling the event, stated that police informed Nasheed that if he was not present before 3:00pm, they would consider that he had failed to be present for the inquiry.

Nasheed came out of the police headquarters after more than two hours and refused to speak to the local media in the absence of Raajje TV.

However Nasheed later gave an interview to the TV station outside the police lines but did not go into any specific details of the inquiry.

Police response

The police denied the claims of Nasheed’s legal team. In a statement released following the inquiry, police stated that Nasheed refused to answer the questions during the inquiry but instead provided them with his own written statement.

Police claimed Nasheed came to the police headquarters with a band of his supporters, and came to the police headquarters at about 3:00pm after waiting for a long time in the Republican Square.

Police said that when the inquiry began, Nasheed wanted to remain silent until all the questions were asked, and then give a statement based on the questions that were posed to him.

“After [questions were posed], former President Nasheed stated that he wanted to cooperate with the inquiry but declined to provide answers, claiming that the police were not able to inform him of the charges for which he was summoned,” read the statement.

Police in the statement dismissed these claims, stating that the officers conducting the inquiry had repeatedly briefed him about the charges and the laws that were in concern but despite the efforts, Nasheed repeatedly said that it was not clear to him.

Afterwards, police said that Nasheed discussed the matter with his legal team and decided to produce a written statement regarding the questions that were posed to him.

Minivan News tried contacting police media official Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef, but he was not responding at time of press

Charges

Last Monday, Police sent a letter to ousted President Mohamed Nasheed requesting he present himself at police headquarters on August 2 at 10:00am, regarding an investigation into a phone conversation police last week released to the media. The time was later changed to 2:00pm, on Nasheed’s request.

Police claimed that in the phone conversation, tapped and recorded the day police dismantled the Maldivian Democratic Party(MDP) protest camp ‘Usfasgandu’, Nasheed and former MDP Chairperson Mariya Didi discussed attacking police officers.

Police publicised the telephone conversation which they claimed was retrieved with a court order following information from intelligence sources.

Nasheed and Mariya’s leaked audio conversation appears to have been held during the police’s attempt to dismantle the MDP’s protest camp at Usfasgandu on May 29. Police had obtained a search warrant claiming MDP was performing black magic, conducting criminal activity and damaging public property in the area.

In the audio clip, Mariya says: “[Police] are forcing people back! They are using pepper spray! That is why we are unable to hold a national council meeting. And we have also received a second letter, ordering us to vacate the area by ten o’clock tonight. We cannot file an appeal at court or do anything. We cannot even hold the National Council meeting. We won’t have [enough members for] quorum. Shihab is here. But they are using pepper spray and forcing people back. [We] can only vacate the place if we could get in there. This is all very unjust. What shall I do?”

Nasheed then replies, “There’s not much we can do. I don’t know. What is there to do? I think [we] need to get people out to fight if we can get them. If we can get people to fight, get them out. It’s very clear to me; I think we need to fight back, if we can get people to fight. Find kids from Male to fight the police,” Mariya laughs at this point, but Nasheed continues, “That is what I think. I don’t know if we can get people to fight. I want to fight against them.”

Superintendent of Police Abdulla Riyaz at the time said the police had decided to publicise the audio conversation “because we have no other choice.”

Riyaz said Mariya had been summoned for questioning over the audio clip on June 20, but claimed the MDP had spread “baseless allegations” that police were arresting and harassing opposition politicians for no apparent reason. “The time has come to reveal the truth,” Riyaz said.

The audio clip was obtained legally through a court warrant, he added.

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“Difficulties in getting phone call recordings”: Commission of National Inquiry

In a press conference held this morning, members of the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) stated they have been having experiencing difficulties in getting the phone call recordings from the Telecommunications Authority (TAM).

However, the members said that the TAM had provided them with the telephone call logs.

“We are having difficulties in getting the phone call recordings. [TAM] does not see the importance of having a [regulation to release call recordings]. Apparently they can’t forward us the call recordings,” Dr Ibrahim Yasir said.

He further said that the CNI has been discussing with TAM on how they could share the recordings.

Speaking in the press conference, co-chair G P Selvam, a retired Singaporian Judge, stated that he was “trying to release a report that all members of the commission agrees to” but said that it was not “something he can promise”.

He also added that CNI will complete its investigation and send its report to the authorities on August 29, but the report would be publicly released on August 30.

Selvam stated that the press conference was the Commission’s final press conference before the release of its findings. It would not state against whom the state should press charges – this was for the Prosecutor General (PG) to decide, he said.

“This is not a criminal investigation, and we don’t have the authority to call on the PG to press charges against specific people,” he said.

Asked if the report would be released in a fashion that would ease the ongoing political tensions, Selvam said the CNI did not need to see what was going on in the current political situation, as its only focus was to see whether the former President Nasheed was toppled illegitimately or not.

“We will not release a timeline, we will release a full report, and the CNI will not consider what may happen after the report is released,” Selvam said.

“We do not want to omit any names, but it may be we will not be able to include all 260 individuals who were interviewed. We will not keep from disclosing any information with the excuse of national interest,” he added.

Dr Ali Fawaz Shareef in the press conference stated that they would release one report, and that there would not be a separate report for the authorities.

He further stated that the commission has already interviewed 269 people, and only 16 people remains to be interviewed.

The members also highlighted that two institutions had not cooperated with the inquiry, but said that in general most institutions were very supportive.

They also highlighted that the commission had received reports published by others, including the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s report on the transfer of power written by two former ministers, Ameen Faisal and Mohamed Aslam.

During the press briefing, the members of the CNI announced that Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) Major General Ahmed Shiyam had shared his bank statement with the commission.

Shiyam had told the CNI that he had no objection to revealing his account details to the public, and therefore Selvam said that the CNI report would include an attached copy of his bank statement.

“Major General Shiyam has told us that he has no objection to revealing the details of his bank accounts to the public,” Selvam said.

He further added that there were several other notable figures who had agreed to share their bank statements with the commission, but did not reveal their names.

CNI deadline August 29

Initially, the commission was mandated to release its findings on July 31, but CNI members stated that their final report will be delayed, after hundreds of people have come forward offering new information.

CNI Co-chair Selvam at the time said that the new date for the report’s completion would be the end of August, which would be discussed with the government. The original deadline was July 31.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s member on the Commission, Ahmed ‘Gahaa’ Saeed, said at the time that 244 people had registered to provide information to the commission following the reforming of the CNI.

“There has been a lot of interest. We will speak to each and every single one,” he said.

The new names joined the 87 spoken to by the government’s original three member panel, taking the total number of contributors to 331.

“That’s one contributor for every 1000 of population,” Saeed remarked.

Following the remarks by the commission, President Mohamed Waheed Hassan extended the deadline by which the CNI must conclude its report into February’s transfer of power by August 30, 2012.

President’s Office confirmed yesterday that Dr Waheed had issued a decree approving the extension of the report’s deadline.  Once complete, the findings are to be submitted to President Waheed, Parliamentary Speaker Abdulla Shahid and the prosecutor general and attorney general.

The first three-member CNI was appointed by President Mohamed Waheed, following a police and military mutiny and Nasheed’s resignation, in what he and his party have described as a coup d’état.

Facing pressure from the Commonwealth and civil society NGOs, the government eventually agreed to reform the commission to include a retired Singaporean judge and a representative for Nasheed.

The former CNI subsequently released a ‘timeline’ into events that took place from January 16 to February 7. The MDP accused the commission of trying to prejudice the work of new commission, and then released its own version of events in response – the ‘Ameen- Aslam’ report based on interviews with the security services. The government described the publication of this report as a “terrorist act”.

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Raajje TV sue police over decision to “not cooperate” with station

Local TV station Raajje TV has announced that it will file a lawsuit against the Maldives Police Service (MPS) following their decision to not to cooperate with the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)-aligned TV station.

In a statement the station claimed that the actions of the police narrowed the constitutional right to freedom of expression and the station’s freedom to practice journalism, and said that the actions of the police were depriving its reporters of their constitutional rights.

The case was filed in the Civil Court, with a request for the court to issue an order to the police to resume their support and cooperation with the TV station, and to hold that its withdrawal was illegitimate.

Civil Court has also confirmed that they have received the case.

Speaking to local media, Deputy CEO of Raajje TV Abdulla Yaamin said that police were discriminating against the station in collusion with other media outlets by inviting them to police press conferences and providing information.

“Due to these reasons we filed a lawsuit to invalidate the police decision. Because of it, our journalists do not get protection from them anymore,” he said.

Raajje TV has also accused police of targeting, assaulting and harrasing its reporters during MDP’s protests.

A statement from Raajje TV on July 10 read: “Raajje TV journalists have been forced to live in fear as they have increasingly become targets of attacks by the national security forces, particularly the police service. The station also believes that these attacks and harassment has been the source of emotional distress and psychological damage to all Raajje TV employees.”

Last week police announced that they had stopped cooperating with Raajje TV, claiming that the opposition-aligned TV station was broadcasting false and slanderous content about police which had undermined their credibility and public confidence.

In a press statement released today, MPS stated that the decision was reached after the station had “deliberately and continuously broadcast false and baseless content with the intention to incite hatred” towards the institution.

“Also, Raajje TV’s broadcasting of false and baseless content about the police institution is seen to be carried out for the political benefit of certain parties and such actions neither fit in with the norms of professional journalism or the principles followed by media outlets of other democratic countries,” read the statement.

Controversial video

The decision from the police comes just a day after Raajje TV broadcasted CCTV video footage of some police officers, who the station alleged were “caught on video” while they were stealing petrol from a motorbike parked in a small road in Male’.

However police denied the allegations and condemned Raajje TV for spreading “false and untrue” information about them.

Superintendent of Police Abdulla Navaz in a press briefing dismissed the claims and said that the video footage was showing the police carrying out their legal duty.

Raajje TV had twisted the details and information in their news report, which Navaz said showed police confiscating a five litre container of petrol from the road.

He also stated that the container was confiscated after police on patrol duty noticed that someone had connected a pipe to steal petrol from a parked motorbike in the road.

“It was decided that we would find the owner of the motor bike and hand over the things that were confiscated. The petrol container is also kept under police observation as evidence,” he said.

Navaz showed the media documents filed during the confiscation.

In the press briefing he expressed concerns over Raajje TV’s “irresponsible” actions and said that the police would file complaints with concerned authorities.

Demand for apology

Following the broadcast of the video, the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) sent a letter to the TV station stating that it had broadcast the content without checking its authenticity and was therefore ordered to apologise for their actions.

The MBC in the letter stated that following the broadcast of the video, police had denied the allegation and released details of the incident, but said the station had failed to inform the public of their error.

Raajje TV’s Deputy CEO Yaamin responded to the letter stating that the station had no intention of undermining the reputation of the police.

He also stated that the station had broadcast the entire recording of the police press briefing held to deny the allegations, giving them the opportunity to defend themselves from the allegations.

He also stated that police were very unresponsive to the queries of reporters from the station.

“They don’t give a proper response when we call to get a comment for a news piece. Even today, when our reporters went to cover the events where the murdered police officer was brought in Male, they sent us away saying that they cannot give us protection,” he said.

“Enemy of the state”

Following the murder of Lance Corporal Ahmed Haleem two days before, the government of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan alleged that that the TV station was responsible along with opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) for attacks on police.

In a joint press conference held on the same day, Home Minister Mohamed Jameel and Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz said that Raajje TV had spread “baseless allegations” about police brutality and the police role in the controversial change of government on February 7, thereby inciting and encouraging violence against the police and their families.

Jameel described MDP and Raajje TV as “enemies of the state,” while Riyaz said former President Mohamed Nasheed and senior MDP officials were behind the planning of psychological and physical attacks on the police.

“I note that former President Mohamed Nasheed is behind the planning of the attacks and damage caused to police property and repeated physical attacks on police officers,” Riyaz said.

Claiming Raajje TV’s reporting was “not responsible journalism,” Riyaz said that the station had spread baseless allegations regarding police brutality towards protesters and police role in the controversial change of government.

“Raajje TV has repeatedly attempted to defame and raise questions over police professionalism by broadcasting baseless allegations to create distrust towards the police,” he added.

He went on to refute the TV station’s CCTV video footage that suggested police had stolen fuel from parked motor cycles, claiming Raajje TV was attempting to falsely cast the entire police force as “brutal” and as “thieves.”

Raajje TV is one of the five private broadcasters of the country and is the only opposition-aligned TV station the country. The TV station has come under pressure and criticism from the government and political parties aligned to government for its opposition coverage.

The TV station first went on air as “Future TV” in 2008, but started broadcasting as “Raajje TV” in 2011. Its audience increased dramatically following the takeover of the state broadcaster by the police and military on February 7.

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Gayoom expresses “frustration” over “foreign influence” in inquiry commission

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has said that he will not accept that the toppling of former President Nasheed’s government on February 7 was a coup d’état, even if the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI)’s report  came to such a conclusion.

After giving a statement to the CNI, Gayoom in a press conference held at the office of his Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), stated that he had seen the recording of the video in which ousted President Nasheed publicly resigned, and said that it was not made “under duress” and that therefore it was very clear that it “was not a coup”

“Even though I was in Malaysia, I saw the video recording of how he resigned and what he said – such as that he is now resigning, and that if he continued to remain as the president the country may face further grief and pain,” Gayoom said.

“Also, it was he himself who wrote the letter of resignation and it is he who sent the letter to the parliament,” Gayoom claimed added.

Gayoom said that there was no point in Nasheed claiming that it is “a coup” after he had resigned in accordance with the constitution.

“I told this to the members of the CNI, and I think they seem to believe it too. I also said that Mohamed Nasheed after [his resignation] went home to sleep, he slept that afternoon, that night, the following morning and then he changed his mind [after waking up], then in the evening said he did not resign, or that his resignation was not permanent but a coup d’état. Then who is going to believe that?” Gayoom questioned.

“Something must have happened after 24 hours, some people must have talked to him and ‘got into his head’ to make him change his statement. Before that he was under the belief that he resigned,” the former president contended.

“Frustrations”

In the press conference, Gayoom stated that during the session with the CNI, he also highlighted two things that “frustrated” him about the commission.

One reason for the frustrations was, he explained, the inclusion o a representative of ousted President Nasheed in the commission, following “foreign” influence.

“The reason that frustrates me is that if this commission has a representative of Nasheed there should be a representative of mine too. That is because on many previous occasions Nasheed has repeatedly made false accusations towards me, both in the Maldives and outside, that the change [of power] was a revolution that I brought in,” Gayoom said.

“Where is justice when there is someone in this commission who supports Nasheed’s claims?” the ex-president questioned.

Gayoom claimed that it would only be fair that he have his “own representative if Nasheed gets to have one”.

His second cause of frustration, Gayoom said, was that the CNI was mandated to look into the events that took place from January 14 to February 8.

He stated that the “change” that took place on February 7 was the result of Nasheed’s “unlawful” and “un-Islamic” actions carried out, that had “angered a lot of citizens”, and contended that this would be clear if the CNI looked into what Nasheed had done after assuming presidency in 2008.

Gayoom during the press conference also shared some of the questions that the CNI posed to him during the session, and the responses he offered.

He said that the CNI questioned as to whether he had provided any financial benefit to the key actors of the change in February 7, to which he replied saying that he “did not spend a single cent on them”.

“Nasheed told the commission that when he entered the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) headquarters, I had told someone that now the ‘fish has gone into the net’ and to better to hold it there,” he explained. “I said that was an outright lie.”’

Gayoom maintained his earlier stand that he had no part to play in the transfer of power, and that “now even Nasheed should believe it because he said that he would believe it if I went to the CNI and told them that I did not play a part in the ‘coup’.”

Ending political instablity

When the CNI had asked him what he thought would bring an end to the ongoing political instability in the country, Gayoom said told the commission the solution was for Nasheed and his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to stop their “extremist” actions and pave the way for negotiations.

Despite Gayoom expressing his openness to negotiate, last month in a rally held by the PPM in Addu City he vigorously condemned his successor, claiming that Nasheed had a habit of defaming him to both the local and international community.

Gayoom at the time said that he “humbly refused” a request from United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Patricia Butenis, to take part in the All Party Talks along with Nasheed.

He dismissed Nasheed’s claims that the controversial transfer of power was a coup d’état, and commended the acts of the mutinying police and military officials.

Following the remarks, the opposition MDP expressed its disappointment to see Gayyoom refusing to take part in the All Party Talks.

“With the country fallen into this grave state, it is saddening to see Gayoom refusing to take part in the All Party Talks, a negotiation that is highly related to the public interest of the country,” MDP Spokesperson MP Imthiyaz Fahmy said, and called on the former President to prioritise the country before his own personal interest.

Fahmy said the MDP was ready to come to the negotiation table, a sentiment matched by former MP and MDP Legal affairs committee member Ibrahim ‘Ibra’ Ismail.

“I was once the President of the MDP. Nasheed was the Chairperson then. We both were harassed and tortured during Gayoom’s regime because we were opposed to his rule,” Ibra said. “But even then we were both prepared to talk to Gayoom and his government on issues that concerned the national interest,” he recalled.

Gayoom showing “symptoms of dementia”

Speaking to Minivan News, Ibra described Gayoom’s comments as “desperate” and in “self-denial”, knowing that CNI report would unveil the “dirty truth” behind the toppling of the country’s first democratically elected government.

He further suggested that the recent remarks that Gayoom had been making in the local media exhibited symptoms of dementia, a loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person beyond what might be expected from normal aging.

“Perhaps a person may make contrasting statements rarely. But we are speaking of several and repeated statements, which may suggest that [Gayoom] maybe exhibiting symptoms of dementia. People of that age face dementia, due to old age,” he alleged.

In response to Gayoom’s frustrations on the CNI, Ibra questioned why Gayoom should have his own representation when allegations were levied against several others, and stated that it was impossible to include the representatives to CNI.

“Allegations were levied against the current Commissioner of Police, Defence Minister, the President and several politicians. Can we include each of their representatives in the commission?” he questioned.

Ibra stated that the focus and the mandate of the CNI was to find out whether Nasheed resigned under duress or not, and added that it was not the CNI’s mandate to see how Nasheed ran the country, or reflect on frustrations expressed by Gayoom.

Ibra further alleged that Gayoom was trying to discredit the members of CNI, knowing that the CNI report would not come out in his favor.

“I think he clearly knows from what the CNI knows and the evidences they collected, and from the facts surrounding the event, that it is highly unlikely the report will not come out in his favour. So he has already begun his work to discredit the CNI stating that it is not impartial and lacks credibility,” Ibra claimed.

Concern and condemnation

Following Gayoom’s remarks, in a media statement the opposition MDP expressed concerns and condemned the remarks, citing that it reflected Gayoom’s lack of concern on the interests of the country.

“When a lot of people are alleging that the transfer of power that took place on February 7 was a coup d’etat, and while many question the events that unfolded on that day as well as the legitimacy of the current government, it is very concerning to see former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom publicly stating that he would not believe that former government of the Maldives was toppled by a coup, even if the CNI established to look into the issue decides so,” read the statement.

The MDP in the statement said that the democratic achievements the people of the country had achieved in the last three years were diminishing, and claimed that police brutality and human rights abuses had become abundant following the coup.

“The grave situation that the Maldives lies today is that the economic growth of the country has severely slowed down, efforts of social protection of the people are at a halt, unemployment rates are rapidly rising and people’s income has come down significantly,” read the statement.

The MDP in the statement alleged that despite the country being in such a grave situation, Gayoom’s remarks reflect his insincerity and lack of concern towards the general well being of the country and its people.

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Police summon ousted President Nasheed over tapped phone call

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has sent a letter to ousted President Mohamed Nasheed requesting he present himself at police headquarters on August 2 at 10:00am, regarding an investigation into a phone conversation police last week released to the media.

Police have claimed that in the phone conversation, tapped and recorded the day police dismantled the MDP protest camp ‘Usfasgandu’, Nasheed and  former MDP Chairperson Mariya Didi discussed attacking police officers.

Police publicised the telephone conversation which they claimed was retrieved with a court order following information from intelligence.

Nasheed and Mariya’s leaked audio conversation appears to have been held during the police’s attempt to dismantle the MDP’s protest camp at Usfasgandu on May 29. Police had obtained a search warrant claiming MDP was performing black magic, conducting criminal activity and damaging public property in the area.

In the audio clip, Mariya says: “[Police] are forcing people back! They are using pepper spray! That is why we are unable to hold a national council meeting. And we have also received a second letter, ordering us to vacate the area by ten o’clock tonight. We cannot file an appeal at court or do anything. We cannot even hold the National Council meeting. We won’t have [enough members for] quorum. Shihab is here. But they are using pepper spray and forcing people back. Can only vacate the place if we could only get in there. This is all very unjust. What shall I do?”

Nasheed then replies, “There’s not much we can do. I don’t know. What is there to do? I think [we] need to get people out to fight if we can get them. If we can get people to fight, get them out. It’s very clear to me, I think we need to fight back. If we can get people to fight. Find kids from Male to fight the police,” Mariya laughs at this point, but Nasheed continues, “That is what I think. I don’t know if we can get people to fight. I want to fight against them.”

Superintendent of Police Abdulla Riyaz at the time said the police had decided to publicise the audio conversation “because we have no other choice.”

Riyaz said Mariya had been summoned for questioning over the audio clip on June 20, but claimed the MDP had spread “baseless allegations” that  police were arresting and harassing opposition politicians for no apparent reason. “The time has come to reveal the truth,” Riyaz said.

The audio clip was obtained legally through a court warrant, he added.

Speaking to Minivan News, police media official Haneef confirmed that the letter was sent.

“The retrieved of the phone call was within the law. We can assure that,” he said.

Calls for arrest of Nasheed

Following the controversial transfer of power, several politicians and political parties supporting the current government of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan have openly called on the government to arrest Nasheed.

The latest call came on Saturday night during a rally held by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), where party council members openly vowed to arrest Nasheed and put him in “solitary confinement”.

During the rally Deputy Minister of Transport Ahmed Nazim highlighted the party’s efforts to topple Nasheed’s government, and praised the patience of those who took to streets to bring an end to Nasheed’s government.

“When we come out to do something, we won’t back down. We proved that when we came out to bring Nasheed down, and we only stopped after bringing an end to Nasheed’s dictatorship,” he said.

“Now we have come out to put an end to all this. I assure you all, we will only stop after putting Nasheed in solitary confinement,” Nazim said.

Speaking at the rally PPM MP Ahmed Nihan Hassan Manik also assured the party supporters that Nasheed would face trial and would be “imprisoned for a very long time”.

“I am saying this as the deputy chair of the parliament’s temporary committee set up to look into crimes that Nasheed has committed. I assure you we will thoroughly investigate what he has done in the last three years,” he said.

Last month, Interim vice Preisdent of PPM Umar Naseer expressed his confidence that the Prosecutor General’s (PG) investigation into charges against former President Mohamed Nasheed will see his imprisonment before the scheduled elections in July 2013.

“We will make sure that the Maldivian state does this. We will not let him go; the leader who unlawfully ordered the police and military to kidnap a judge and detain him for 22 days will be brought to justice,” he said at the time.

He further added that the PG had told him that Nasheed would be prosecuted.

“He is an independent person. I hope he will prosecute this case. He has said that he will. I have no doubt that he will,” Naseer said.

Pepper sprayed

On June 16, local TV station aired a video showing the police pepper-spraying Nasheed while he was participating in the MDP led protests calling for an end to police brutality and the holding of early elections.

The video shows a riot police officer reaching over a crowd of people surrounding Nasheed and spraying him in the face. Nasheed turns away as the spray hits him, and is taken away by his supporters, but later returned to the protest.

Police initially denied use of any excessive force or pepper spray on the protesters.

“Maldives Police did not use any excessive force nor was pepper spray directed to anyone’s face,” police said in a statement at the time.

“The Maldives Police strongly denies MDP allegations of directly pepper spraying on individuals eyes at close range, especially ex-president Mohamed Nasheed, and urge the Maldivian Democratic Party to publish statements responsibly,” police said.

Police admitted using the spray to control the crowd during their recovery of barricades removed by the demonstrators, but denied intentionally targeting the former President.

“Pepper spray was used to halt the charging demonstrators on July 14th night against police barricades set for security reasons. This spraying was never in any case directed to human eyes in close range but into the air to avert possible regulation violations by demonstrators,” the statement read.

“The allegations made by the Maldivian Democratic Party against Maldives Police pepper spraying directly on Ex-president Nasheed’s face are not true. The Maldives Police Service have no intentions on directly pepper spraying on Ex-President Mohamed Nasheed nor any other individuals; however, the incident is currently being looked into and necessary actions will be taken against any officer who uses excessive force.”

However to the surprise of many, police later told the media that Nasheed’s body guards did not see him being pepper sprayed to an inquiry.

Police questioned the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Special Protection Group (SPG) bodyguards assigned to Nasheed, after the media publicised video footage of a police officer pepper spraying Nasheed’s face while he was with a group of MDP supporters at a protest.

In a statement issued on following the allegations, police said that Nasheed’s bodyguards said that while they were aware pepper spray was being used in the area, they could not identify the officer using it.

Police said officers that working that night to control the protest were also questioned, and said they had used pepper spray after protesters moved inside the cordoned area and refused to move back after police advised the protesters to do so.

Police said they did not spray at any individual, and that the pepper spray was targeted at the crowed, the police statement said.

Charges

On July 15, PG Ahmed Muizz has filed charges against Nasheed and the former defense minister Tholhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaanu for their alleged role in detaining Criminal Court Chief Justice Abdulla Mohamed in January.

Nasheed and Tholhath were charged with violating Article 81 of the Penal Code, which states that the detention of a government employee who has not been found guilty of a crime is illegal. If found guilty, Nasheed and Tholhath will face a jail sentence or banishment for three years or a Rf 3000 fine (US$193.5).

The case, if lost may bar Nasheed from any upcoming presidential elections was filed in Hulhumale Magistrate Court instead of Criminal Court, where PG stated that the decision was because there was a conflict of interest.

However, Hulhumale Court rejected the case on July 18 stating that it did not have the jurisdiction to preside on the case.

Hulhumale’ Court Magistrate Moosa Naseem told Minivan News at the time that the case was sent back to the Prosecutor General’s Office after the court stated it did not have the jurisdiction to deal with such cases under the Judicature Act.

‘’We studied the case and we found that we do not have the jurisdiction to deal with the case according to article 66 of the Judicature Act,’’ Naseem said.

Naseem told local media that the Hulhumale’-based court can only accept the case after the Chief Justice issues a decree in agreement with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and the Judicial Council as stated in the article 66[b] of the Judicature Act.

Following the decision, PG asked the court to review its decision.

Deputy PG Hussein Shameem following the decision said that Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court does have the jurisdiction to hear the case of former President Mohamed Nasheed over his role in the detention of a Criminal Court Chief Judge.

Shameem contended that should the court maintain its decision against hearing the case, there were few other judicial alternatives in trying to ensure a “fair trial”.

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MPs Ali Waheed and Ahmed Mahloof facing criminal charges for obstructing police duty

Two former Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MPs Ali Waheed and Ahmed Mahloof are facing criminal charges for allegedly obstructing police duty during an opposition protest that took place in 2010.

Prosecutor General (PG) claimed that the two MPs entered a restricted area cordoned off by police during the night of March 25, 2010, near the former presidential residence of Muleaage, and had showed disobedience to the police officers in the area.

Both Mahloof and Waheed are facing charges under the article 75 of the Maldives Police Services Act.

During the first hearing held yesterday, after the charges were read to the defendant MPs, Mahloof requested the judge carry out the trial separately stating that although he and Waheed were once in the same party, times had changed and the pair now followed different political beliefs and parties.

However, presiding judge Abdulla Didi declined Mahloof’s request stating that the state had levied one charge against both him and his parliamentary colleague, and said that differing political beliefs was immaterial to the case that was being heard.

Meanwhile, Waheed stated that he was unclear about the charges pressed against him. He added that he was not someone who would ever confront police with arms and questioned whether it was only him and Mahloof that were there during the protests.

Responding to Waheed’s claims, the state attorney stated that the charges did not mention that Waheed had attempted to confront the police with arms, and also mentioned that others were involved.

The state prosecutors said they had decided to prosecute Waheed and Mahloof because they had obtained evidence supporting the charges.

Both Mahloof and Waheed requested to proceed with the trial after seeking legal counsel.

During today’s hearing, the judge questioned the state as to why the case had been delayed for such a long period. The state responded that the case had been earlier submitted but later withdrawn because the PG observed that there was a “lack of fairness” in sending cases to court.

Adjourning the session, Judge Abdulla stated that a date for the next hearing would be announced later and that the case would be scheduled at the earliest available date.

This is the second time the case has been forwarded to trial.

Earlier in November 2010 the case was sent to trial but the PG withdrew the matter, stating that police had failed to submit a case that involved then ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) activists entering the Civil Services Commission (CSC) office and harassing their staff.

The former government had criticised the PG following their actions, and claimed that the PG was politically-aligned instead of being impartial. In their defence, the PG stated that police had been sending cases involving [former] opposition politicians and while failing to send cases of MDP activists, which meant that the government was pressing charges that were politically motivated.

An official from the PG told local media today that the case had been re-sent along with the case involving MDP activists harassing CSC employees.

Concerns

With the trial to proceed, the now-opposition MDP has raised concerns stating that the case had lost its meaning because of the delay in prosecution.

In a statement, the MDP claimed that “Without considering the legal principle ‘justice delayed is justice denied’,  we would like to bring to notice that the state is prosecuting meaningless cases while more important cases remain unprosecuted, while others have already been dismissed,” read the statement.

MDP described the prosecution as a “series of attempts to hurt” its members after the MDP government was toppled on February 7.

Waheed, speaking to local media after the hearing, stated that he would not be threatened by such cases that the current government was pressing against him, and said he would “face the charges with courage”.

He also asked the PG to prosecute him for even “slightest” wrong he had committed.

“This prosecution is not just a prosecution levied against me, this is a prosecution that is levied against the 50,000 members of MDP and the majority of the citizens of Thoddu constituency,” he said.

Waheed further said that despite the efforts by the government to pressure him, he would not leave the MDP to support an illegitimate government.

Both Waheed and Mahloof were elected to parliament under the ticket of DRP.

However, following the split of the DRP into two factions, both Waheed and Mahloof chose to leave their former party and head to two different directions.

Mahloof joined the newly formed Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), the party formed by the DRP members who supported former President Gayoom and opposed the DRP’s leader, MP Ahmed Thasmeen Ali.

Waheed defected to MDP and was later elected as the deputy parliamentary group leader of the party.

MDP Spokesperson Imthiyaz Fahmy was not responding at time of press.

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PPM’s rally: MDP protesters “dogs”, vow to put Nasheed “in solitary confinement”

Members of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) have vowed to put ousted President Mohamed Nasheed “in solitary confinement”, at a rally held last night.

An approximately 300 PPM supporters arrived at 10:30pm to the Artificial Beach area, calling on the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to stop “attacking” the security services and bring peace to the streets of Male’.

Interim Vice President of PPM Umar Naseer, along with several council members of the party including MP Ahmed Nihan, Ahmed ‘Maaz’ Saleem and Deputy Minister of Transport Ahmed Nazim, led the rally.

Speaking during the rally, PPM council member Saleem said the party had been requesting the government bring an end to the MDP’s protesting for the last six months.

“One month after the transfer of power, we went and asked the government to put an end to the street activities but nothing happened. The second month we went, nothing happened. Third, fourth and fifth month we went but nothing was done. Now we have decided it is time we come out,” he said.

Saleem blasted the government of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan for not being able to “put down” Nasheed “and his 200 hounds”.

“We had to come out because the government has failed to do anything about ‘Keneryge’ Nasheed and the 200 dogs that are behind him. In each island there are five dogs like that. These dogs should be put behind bars,” Saleem said.

“I believe ‘Keneryge’ Nasheed is not behind the ruthless actions [against police]. Instead he is leading these violent attacks. What we know is that Nasheed’s family were the only people who attempted to bring about a coup d’état in this country,” he alleged.

Saleem claimed that Nasheed during his presidency had “done injustice” to the people, for which he should face trial.

Deputy Minister of Transport Ahmed Nazim, who spoke after Saleem, repeated calls for government to take action against MDP protesters and to bring peace to the streets of Male.

He also highlighted the party’s efforts to topple Nasheed’s government, and praised the patience of those who took to streets to “end Nasheed’s dictatorship”.

“When we come out to do something, we won’t back down. We proved that when we came out to bring Nasheed down, and we only stopped after bringing an end to Nasheed’s dictatorship,” he said.

“Now we have come out to put an end to all this. I assure you all, we will only stop after putting Nasheed in solitary confinement,” Nazim said.

Following Nazim’s speech, members of the rally gathered near Boduthakurufaanu Magu as hundreds of MDP protesters passed by.

Verbal confrontations took place between the MDP protesters and the participants of the rally. PPM members called the MDP protesters “ganjabo” (hash user) while the MDP protesters called back “golhaabo” (toddy thief) and “baaghee” (traitor).

With an apparently lower turnout than expected, MP Ahmed Nihan was observed calling people in the Artificial Beach area to gather closer and not confront the MDP protesters prior to his speech. Umar Naseer later reiterated Nihan’s calls.

MP Nihan, speaking in the rally after the situation had calmed down, stated that the party had come out to inform the government that they too had the power to take action against those who broke laws and jeopardised the peace and stability of the country.

Nihan also raised skepticism over the UNHCR report on the Maldives, questioning the UN’s motives and claiming that they had been silent over the recent “extremist attacks” on the Burmese Rohingya Muslims.

“Where is the UNHCR when our Muslim brothers in Burma are suffering? I challenge Nasheed to at least for once condemn those attacks,” he said.

Nihan described the day of Nasheed’s toppling as the new “victory day” for the Maldivian people, and vowed that he would not stop until Nasheed was brought in front of justice.

“I am saying this as the deputy chair of the parliament’s temporary committee set up to look into crimes that Nasheed has committed. I assure you we will thoroughly investigate what he has done in the last three years,” he said.

Nihan also claimed that Nasheed had used up to MVR 300 million (US$19.45 million) as money received from the state as privileges for a former president, which he alleged was not used in a proper manner.

“People laughed at me when I first proposed the bill of privileges for former presidents in 2009, but today it is Nasheed who is getting the most of it. Up until today, he has eaten MVR 300 million from the state as for privileges, but I am now considering putting an amendment to that law to bar him from that,” Nihan said.

He vowed he would propose an amendment to the act to make sure that the former president would only be eligible to receive state beneficiaries if he stayed within the law and “refrained from causing public nuisance”.

Toppling Nasheed was a “Golden Goal”

Speaking during the rally, Umar Naseer said that Nasheed knew that the current government could not be toppled from the streets.

“Mohamed Nasheed is very much aware that the government cannot be toppled from the streets. Umar Naseer knows how it can be done,” Naseer said.

Naseer said he succeeded in his work on February 7, which he had begun after Nasheed assumed presidency.

“I scored the golden goal and went home,” he said.

Naseer also promised that in a PPM government, the death penalty would be implemented.

“We will bring peace to this country, from Haa Alif atoll to Seenu Atoll. Here in the Maldives, people can’t murder others, they can’t stab people to death and they can’t rape women either. If they murder they would face death penalty,” he said.

He also followed Saleem in labeling MDP protesters as “animals”, and stated that after PPM takes over the presidency, “barking animals” will not roam the streets of Male’.

“Even former President Ibrahim Nasir drove away the asses and monkeys that were living in Male’. So for reasons concerning public health, some animals that ‘shout too loud’ will be not allowed to live in Male’ in a PPM government,” he said, in reference to the MDP protesters.

PPM announced that the rallies would continue every Saturday night throughout the month of Ramadaan.

Minivan News tried contacting Umar Naseer but he had not responded at time of press.

PPM “sick and in need of serious counseling”

Speaking to Minivan News regarding PPM’s rally, former Transport Minister and MDP National Council member Adil Saleem described actions of PPM members as “sick”, and the party in need of “serious counseling”.

“They just don’t get us. President Nasheed could be in jail but he will inspire every heart. The voice of freedom will only get louder,” he said.

Following the comments made about arresting Nasheed, Adil said that the PPM would “try anything at this moment”.

“I’ve been inside police headquarters and their detention centre. There is no proper police service now. So the possibility of a rogue element arresting him is possible. Later the service will have no option but to defend the actions of the rogue officers.  Anything is possible,” he said.

“My first arrest was the previous night near the Dhiraagu head office. They took me to the station and told me I was mistakenly arrested for sexually assaulting a female officer on the road. These officers were saluting us six months back,” he said.

He further said that he believed the rally was “a desperate act” by PPM, as international pressure grew.

“I don’t believe anyone who had associated him or herself with the coup and still has brains left would want to go on display at PPM gatherings, when all the pieces of the very clear puzzle are falling into place. I don’t believe they have much support,” he concluded.

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Nine people to face charges over ‘honeytrap’ nude photo blackmailing scam

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) have sent a case involving nine people to the Prosecutor General (PG), alleging the group was involved in blackmailing people after acquiring nude pictures and videos of them through Facebook.

Last year in February, police arrested 14 persons including a minor for alleged involvement in the blackmailing ring, after the group used a fraudulent Facebook account to acquire videos of politicians, businessman and other members of the public and used the material to blackmail them for money.

In a press briefing held yesterday, police revealed to media the details of the nine persons facing charges, all of them from Hithadhoo in Addu City: Mohamed Mumin (26), Hussain Shah (24), Ahmed Mohamed (26), Mohamed Minsar (24), Azmeen Ishaag (23), Mohamed Ishaag (27), Ibrahim Ishaag (20), Ali Ishaag (26) and Ahmed Athif (21).

Police stated that during the investigation process they retrieved videos of about 60 to 70 people who were blackmailed.

They also said that they have sent cases involving 10 persons to the PG, concerning the content of videos obtained. Police did not reveal the details of those charged.

Speaking at the press briefing, Superintendent of Police Mohamed Riyaz said that police did not reveal the details because the case concerned a lot of people and there remained “certain things” that still needed to be checked before revealing their identities.

Police earlier told Minivan News that they would be revealing the details of those in the videos as the investigation progressed.

Superintendent Riyaz stated that the blackmailers used two Facebook accounts to blackmail the victims and had acquired large sums of money in the process, transferred it using a shop in Male to a shop in Addu City.

Two Facebook profiles identified at the time as being involved in the ring where those belonging to ‘Lyshiaa Limanom’ and ‘Angelic Sharrown’. Both of these profiles show the same picture of a young blonde woman wearing sunglasses, and each profile had between 1200-1300 Facebook ‘friends’ – most of them Maldivian.

Riyaz also said that the blackmailers had also collected money by personally contacting the victims.

“[Before taking money] they first checked the financial capacity of the person. They took large sums of money from some people while collected money from others on a monthly basis for a very long period,” he said.

Riyaz did not reveal the details of exactly how much money that was laundered.

During the investigation, police questioned several officials from the former government including officials of state minister level.

Local newspaper Haveeru reported that the investigation was halted following pressure from the former government, and the investigations resumed following the controversial transfer of power which toppled the government of then President Mohamed Nasheed on February 7, 2012.

Following the arrests made on February last year, police in a statement said they had begun investigations after the issue came to light two months back.

“Police conducted a special operation from February 13-20, 2011 in an effort to stop this crime and present the criminals before the court,” read the statement.

Police at the time said 10 of the 14 alleged perpetrators were arrested in Addu City while four of them, including a 17 year old minor, were caught in Male’. According to police all persons arrested in Addu City were between the ages of 21-26.

Police stated that they discovered “hundreds of nude pictures and videos of Maldivians” in the laptops and external hard drives of those arrested.

“While some of the pictures were taken of people while drunk, other pictures were taken without the consent of the person,” police said.

Police also stated that they had noticed that some people in the videos were performing explicit acts in the presence of minors, and warned that this “could affect the future and discipline of the minors”.

Police questioning Haveeru journalists

During the investigations, police questioned two journalists from local newspaper Haveeru following an article they published on the blackmailing ring.

Haveeru in the article interviewed a person who claimed to have seen some of the material, who said that MPs belonging to both the opposition and the ruling party had fallen for the scam, as well as prominent businessmen and “national figures”.

Haveeru journalists Ahmed Hamdhoon and Ismail Naseer volunteered to take part in police questioning about an article published by Haveeru on February 22 concerning the content of images acquired through Facebook. The paper maintained that it did not have any of the files that were in question.

Haveeru Editor Moosa Latheef told Minivan News at the time that although police had acted politely and without aggression in requesting the identity of the sources said to have viewed the indecent images – a request he said was denied just as politely – the case could have serious ramifications for the national media in the future.

Latheef stressed particular concern that should police repeat their conduct of looking to question journalists about their sources or stories.

“We are very much enjoying the press freedom in the Maldives right now. But I’m afraid that if the police or other institutions try to interfere with our [press] freedom then they will create an atmosphere where we are unable to fulfill our responsibilities,” he said. “If this repeats then we could have journalists who are afraid to write about issues. No one wants to go to the courts to defend himself or herself [over stories].”

Latheef said that in general, it could become very easy to begin such a case by accusing a journalist – or anyone – of having illegal content such as pornographic images on their computer. Yet on a wider level, the editor was wary about police being able to gain access to the computer files of the country’s journalists and their contents that could include confidential sources vital to break stories.

While the paper’s editor accepted that there were situations such as national security issues that could warrant a court to request the identity of a journalist’s source against commonly held industry ethics, he claimed such requests should remain very rare cases.

Latheef said that the Facebook bribery allegations were a story not about an issue of national security, but one concerning prominent members of the government, parliament and the judiciary, which paled in consequence to some of the stories he said Haveeru has previously published.

Police at the time also obtained a court order to search the computers of some Haveeru staff.

However, police officials later said they ultimately opted not to conduct a search on Haveeru’s premises, but that the questioning of the journalists involved was important to an ongoing investigation.

“Attack on free media”

Following the questioning, Maldives Journalist Association (MJA) condemned the police actions describing the actions as a step to suppress free media in the country.

MJA President Ahmed ‘Hiriga’ Zahir said at the time that the action taken by police in questioning Haveeru’s Ahmed Hamdhoon and Ismail Naseer was unprecedented under the current constitution.

A media officer for the Maldives Police Service following the events said at the time that they were unable to confirm what sort of questions the journalists were asked and if they may be called in for further questioning at a later date.

However, Zahir at the MJA questioned why the police needed to summon the journalists about a story and images already thought to be in the public domain.

“I don’t think this was simply a case of police asking journalists to help them with an enquiry,” he said. “I personally believe it is an attempt to censor and suppress the Maldives media, which has been free.”

The case became a subject of intense political debate and conspiracy against the former government of President Mohamed Nasheed where then opposition figures accused his government of trying to cover up the blunders of his party, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) activists who were unfit for top government posts.

Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), an opposition party at the time sent a letter to the President’s Office, calling the President Nasheed to remove government officials involved in the case from their posts “or if you do not remove them from their posts it will be taken as meaning that you are supporting such activities.”

The DQP called on the government to take action against those involved “as soon as possible.”

However, former Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair brushed off the allegations stating that none of the events reportedly depict “would have taken place inside the President’s office.”

“We don’t have Facebook, MSN or any other social networks on any computer of the President’s Office,” Zuhair said. “It is nothing to do with the government or the president,” he responded.

Several blogs at the time speculated on the names of those caught up in the scandal, but police did not confirm the identities of those compromised.

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Police ‘cut off’ support and protection to Raajje TV over broadcasting of “false” CCTV

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has announced that it has stopped cooperating with local TV station Raajje TV, claiming that the opposition-aligned TV station was broadcasting false and slanderous content about the police which had undermined their credibility and public confidence.

In a press statement released today, MPS stated that the decision was reached after the station had “deliberately and continuously broadcast false and baseless content with the intention to incite hatred” towards the institution.

“Also, Raajje TV’s broadcasting of false and baseless content about the police institution is seen to be carried out for the political benefit of certain parties and such actions neither fit in with the norms of professional journalism or the principles followed by media outlets of other democratic countries,” read the statement.

Speaking to Minivan News, a reporter from Raajje TV said that prior to the decision police had already indicated yesterday that they were not willing to cooperate with the Raajje TV reporters.

The reporter said that the station had tried to cover the arrival of the body of murdered police officer lance corporal Adam Haleem to Male, however had pushed the reporters back and told them “it was not a wise thing to come there.”

“A police official came over to us and said that it was not a wise thing to come there. The person said that the police officers were in a very ‘hyper’ mood and that anything could happen at such time,” said the reporter.

“They told us that if something ‘bad’ happened there, the police would not be able to protect us. Then another officer came and said to the officer who spoke to us, to check if we had press cards and to move those who did not have press cards out of the area,” he added.

“Caught on video”

The decision from the police comes just a day after Raajje TV broadcasted CCTV video footage of some police officers, who the station alleged were “caught on video” while they were stealing petrol from a motorbike parked in a small road in Male’.

However police denied the allegations and condemned Raajje TV for spreading “false and untrue” information about them.

Superintendent of Police Abdulla Navaz in a press briefing stated that the video footage was showing the police carrying out their legal duty.

Raajje TV had twisted the details and information in their news report, which Navaz said showed police confiscating a five litre container of petrol from the road.

He also stated that the container was confiscated after police on patrol duty noticed that someone had connected a pipe to steal petrol from a parked motorbike in the road.

“It was decided that we would find the owner of the motor bike and hand over the things that were confiscated. The petrol container is also kept under police observation as evidence,” he said.

Navaz showed the media documents filed during the confiscation.

In the press briefing he expressed concerns over Raajje TV’s “irresponsible” actions and said that the police would file complaints with concerned authorities.

Demand for apology

Following the broadcast of the video, Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) sent a letter to the TV station stating that it had broadcasted the content without checking its authenticity and were therefore ordered to apologise for their actions.

MBC in the letter stated that following the broadcasting of the video police had denied the allegation and released details of the incident, but said the station had failed to inform the public of their erroneous content.

“Therefore, news that was broadcast from July 22 onwards, alleging that the police had stolen petrol from a motorbike is untrue. This commission orders the station to broadcast a statement apologising for the publication, for three consecutive nights starting from July 24, after every news hour,” read the letter.

MBC also issued a warning in the letter stating that if the commission noticed any further violations of the broadcasting laws and regulations, they would take action against the station under the article 49(c) of the Broadcasting Act.

MBC also stated that the station had repeatedly violated the broadcasting laws, regulations and ethics code, during its coverage of the ongoing Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) protests.

The commission stated that because of the coverage, it had given rise to possible political instability and chaos in the society, and said the commission had received “several complaints about it”.

MBC in the letter highlighted that it had sent written advice to the station on July 12, and had met with the management of the station on July 17 and had advised it to broadcast content within legal boundaries.

Deputy CEO of RaajjeTV, Abdulla Yaamin, told local media that the station had no intention of undermining the reputation of the police.

He also stated that the station had broadcast the entire recording of the police press briefing held to deny the allegations, giving them the opportunity to defend themselves from the allegations.

He also stated that police were very unresponsive to the queries of reporters from the station.

“They don’t give a proper response when we call to get a comment for a news piece. Even today, when our reporters went to cover the events where the murdered police officer was brought in Male, they sent us away saying that they cannot give us protection,” he said.

He also said the station would decide how to proceed after seeking legal counsel.

Speaking to Minivan News, Yamin confirmed the incident took place and said that the station would release a statement.

Raajje TV is one of the five private broadcasters of the country and is the only opposition-aligned TV station the country. The TV station has come under pressure and criticism from the government and political parties aligned to government for its opposition coverage.

Most recently, the station aired footage of police apparently pepper-spraying former President Mohamed Nasheed during a protest rally on July 14, after police had issued a statement denying that the incident had occurred.

Earlier in May, Yamin accused the security forces of “physical and psychological intimidation” to the reporters of the station during a by deposed President Mohamed Nasheed to mark International Press Freedom Day.

He said the station had operated with freedom and “without any fear” before the change of power on February 7.

Since the transfer of power Raajje TV reporters have experienced physical attacks and have been threatened by security forces, Yamin said. Further, he said ministers of the current administration had refused to engage with the station.

“I have no certainty I can safely go home after saying this here,” Yamin said at the time.

The TV station first went on air as “Future TV” in 2008, but started broadcasting as “Raajje TV” in 2011. Its audience increased dramatically following the takeover of the state broadcaster by the police and military on February 7.

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