Local private television channel Raajje TV has disputed claims made by the local media that the BBC has threatened to take legal action against the station, after it released a live telecast of an interview with former President Mohamed Nasheed that was to be shown on the BBC’s Hardtalk Program.
Nasheed recorded the interview in the Raajje TV studio and spoke to Hardtalk presenter Stephen Sackur over the phone.
The interview concerned Nasheed’s allegations that he had been forced to resign and was effectively ousted in to a coup d’état on Tuesday February 7. The show was scheduled to be aired on Thursday night, by Raajje TV, but was live broadcasted during its recording last night.
Local media Haveeru reported that BBC had threatened to take legal action, citing an alleged email forwarded to Raaje TV from Hard Talk producer, Heather Shiels.
In the email Sheils expressed her disappointment over the actions of Raaje TV, which she described as a “clear breach of both contract and copyright and the BBC editorial guidelines,” Haveeru reported. “We have asked our lawyers to investigate this matter.”
Speaking to Minivan News, Raaje TV Deputy CEO Abdulla Yameen refuted the claims, saying that “nobody from our organisation has received an email from the BBC threatening take legal action against us”.
He said that the local media is reporting the claims because they could not “digest the popularity” Raajje TV has gained recently for the up to date coverage of the intense political unrest in the Maldives.
“Our action [the live telecast] was solely based on the negotiations we had with the BBC,” Yameen said, adding that the channel had not violated any copyright law.
In an earlier edition of Hardtalk aired in December 2010, Nasheed was grilled on his adherence to human rights, the Maldives’ financial condition and its commitment to combating climate change.
Nasheed on Hardtalk part 1/3
Nasheed on Hardtalk part 2/3
Nasheed on Hardtalk 3/3
(0)Dislikes
(0)
i think it was unprofessional of Raajje TV to air the whole thing during the setting up of the programme. Probably BBC won't take action. . .
As we guessed, it was a coup and Waheed is a liar and a Judas.
RaajjeTV (Akram Khamaludeen) is always very unprofessional. He is always after money, girls, and power! RaajjeTV is just been bought by MDP for around $7 mil to air their propaganda till the end of next elections. Shame on u AK!
Dear Malaysia, Please deport our former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom from your country to Maldives.
Its becoming clear every minute that passes buy he has used you beloved country to planed and has carried out a coup and have thrown out the legally elected Government of Maldives.
nasheed...how stupid are u? waheed have no mps, Councillor. he got all the backing he wants from opposition. it mean mps, Councillors. unless you think no1 can rule this country without ur or mdp's consent: remember this is presidential system. indepedents can be president if he go 51% vote. ref to vedio
The lie president
I saw the programme on Rajje TV days before it was shown on BBC. I was also astonished that Nasheed lied so much on that programme.
Rajje TV disputes?
You mean refutes?
Bullshit Mr. President. Small guy with a big mouth Ha. Steven, this Nasheed guy is just playing a game. Mr. Nasheed Mr Nasheed,
I have just listened to the three parts of the BBC interview with Nasheed. It came out during the interview that when MDP Nasheed became president, he did not clean the armed forces of Gayoom supporters.
When Gayoom himself came to power, he cleaned the armed forces of Ibrahim Nasir's supporters.
Purge or no purge, Nasheed should have cleaned the armed forces. As he did not do it, the consequences have been terrible.
Gayoom's policemen and soldiers were installed and brought up by Gayoom, and owe loyalty to Gayoom personally, and also to his dictatorial ideology.
So I am not surprised at all at what they have done. These guys are not liberals and democrats. They believe that power comes through the barrel of a gun.
Gayoom has done it again. He will be hard to beat. Nasheed is in for a tough time now.
Rajje TV will not be able to breathe again if BBC takes full legal action. I hoep they do, then the terrorist MDP party will learn a lesson. They never follow or obey rules in anything.
Normally, of course, when a new government takes over both the police and military top positions, at least, must be purged. However, Mr Nasheed made the mistake of catering to the needs of the Old Order instead of his by not doing so. He was too humble to do that. As a result, what Mr Nasheed so boringly repeatedly referred to as the Old Order returned bringing about the Tuesday's coup. By Old Order he supposedly means the former dictatorial government of Gayoom and his supporters.
The question that the BBC's Hardtalk’s Mr Steven put to Mr Nasheed that he missed to answer was that if he thought that the country was heading for very serious internal conflicts over the next few days and weeks. Instead of confirming that there won’t be serious internal problems in the country while fresh elections are pressed, Mr Nasheed tried to explain that the rebel government could not simply go on because Dr Waheed didn’t have his own parliamentarians but he had a working majority in the parliament. Mr Nasheed missed to make the very important point that there will not be so serious internal conflicts in the coming days.
Mr Nasheed made another mistake answering Steven's question whether it was true that according to some sources close to him, when he made the public declaration of resignation, he literally had guns at his head, he said there were literally no guns. Actually, literally, he had guns when he made the declaration of resignation in that he said he resigned under an ultimatum by the military and the police to do so in just an hour.
Otherwise, the interview of Mr Nasheed by the BBC Hardtalk was fine.
Hopefully the Maldivian people and the international community will soon realize the truth of this event. But one thing that the international community which is normally referred to as US, Britain and some regional powers such as India, must remember is that they are not the ones who grant legitimacy to a country's internal affairs. The Treaty of Westphalia makes certain this point. Hence, what the US, Britain, the UN or India thinks is largely irrelevant to the people of the Maldives. Yes it is true that unless the government of Maldives is one like that of Iran or N. Korea with ideologies in direct conflict with the western “democracies”, the international community will be ready to work with whoever is in power in the Maldives. These powers should first question the legitimacy of some of their own actions.
Mr. Nasheed has made a point when he said that the governments of these countries issued premature statements without looking into the facts of the case and that they are now unable to turn back on their words. It is understandable that this is the case in international relations so the best way for these governments to now save face is to call for free and fair elections.
Finally for BBC, I found the interviewer highly prejudiced. I have seen many interviews of presidents and former presidents by the BBC and other media outlets where similar coups have happened. Stephen Sackur’s demeanor during this particular interview was very unprofessional, especially the sarcastic laughs he gave out. It is not for the presenter to present the story in a particular way, it is for the viewers to decide what they want to believe. The presenter’s job is to be impartial and to present all the facts.
Nasheed lied when he said the Senior Judge Abdulla was given access to his lawyer while he was kept under military detention. Ask Riza, his lawyer.
Is it just me or does this dude yasir really seem to be always cranky? Were you not hugged enough as a child? Or cant you get over the fact that anni is more popular than who ever it is that your supporting will ever be?
Get over it man.
stephen sackur @stephensackur on Twitter says
"Nasheed strangely calm for 'wanted' man. Interview from Male studio was nicked & aired live in Maldives. Have they not heard of copyright?"
Michael, I agree with you.
Nasheed lied that he did not changed top people of police and army. Please ask him Where is Adan Zahir and Mohamed Zahir. Mr. Moosa Ali Jaleel was at army during gayyoom's time but nasheed made him Cheif of defence force because he was one of the military person to support him during the election and was given secret information to Mr. Nasheed. samething with the commissioner of police. Mr. Nasheed is a big liyer and we have never seen a liyer like him in the world. I am sure he will damage our country and start killing people of maldives soon. He is also drug adicted person, he is also heavy drinker and also he eats port. We dont want to have a person like him to be our president. Thank you god for protecting the Maldives and it's people.
the lie president Mohammed Nasheedh
it is well known that nasheed is a drug addict and pot smoker. the only people behind him are the druggies.
anyone who wants to serve in the presidents office - take a drug test. NOW. and if drugs are found in your system - whether now or within the past year - you're not allowed to serve the people - you're a servant of your drug habit.
MDP should vote for someone else to lead their party. they're the right party - with the wrong leader. no country can survive or gain prosperity with a compulsive POT SMOKER as their head of state.
no need to believe me - CALL FOR NASHEED TO TAKE A DRUG TEST. until then - all you self-righteous "PRO-NASHEED" (pot smoking) sanctimonious pigs can shut the hell up.