A digest of news and opinion from the Maldives.
The civil court has thrown out RaajjeTV’s lawsuit against the state for failure to protect the station during the 2013 arson attack that destroyed its studios and master control room. The lawsuit was filed citing police incompetence in protecting the broadcaster’s assets, despite information being given to law enforcement authorities about the possibility of an […]
Abdullah Rasheed Mohamed with Maldives Correctional Service officers — The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) and the National Integrity Commission (NIC) have finally begun investigating the death of the May Day protestor who passed away suddenly whilst serving his sentence. Abdullah Rasheed Mohamed, 51, passed away at the state-run Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital […]
Former defence minister Ameen Faisal, charged over the military’s “protective custody” of then-MP Abdulla Yameen, has been given a week to prepare the closing arguments in his terrorism trial. Ameen, who served under former president Mohamed Nasheed, was charged with abduction under the now-defunct 1990 Anti-Terrorism Act. He faces up to 15 years in jail […]
The prisons authority has denied attempting to coerce Ahmed Adeeb’s family into giving consent for administering an injection to the jailed former vice president, condemning “false allegations” concerning the medical treatment of inmates. The Maldives Correctional Services said in a statement Monday that inmates interact with doctors privately after consultations are arranged upon request. “This service will not […]
Four of the five men charged in connection with the murder of 25-year-old Mohamed Anas were Monday given 10 days to appoint lawyers. Anas, a speedboat captain from the northern island of Meedhoo in Raa atoll, was stabbed 37 times in July by a group of masked men inside the Litus Service Centre in the […]
In August 2016, the Maldives passed a controversial law that criminalised defamation and restricted freedom of expression. The Maldives Broadcasting Commission has punished opposition-aligned Raajje TV several times under this law, increasing tensions between journalists and the government-backed regulator. Following is a timeline of actions taken by MBC against Raajje TV this year. March 7: […]
During a daily team meeting one Sunday at Raajje TV, journalists and producers debated on ways to minimise the impact of their third fundraising drive for the year on their work. The campaigns – the current one launched on October 8 – battle exorbitant fines imposed by the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) after the introduction […]
The original Dhivehi article was published on Avas.mv website on 15th October 2017. The following is a loose translation: Prison is a target of huge criticisms always. The prisoners and their lawyers always raise complaints against the poor prison conditions. However, most of the times it is ignored saying those are attempts to evade jail. […]
After considerable delay, the Maldives Correctional Services has on Monday admitted that it is overseeing access to medical care for former vice president Ahmed Adeeb. While it is the statutory institution charged with overseeing such facilities for convicted inmates, the service has thwarted several attempts from the press to acquire a comment from them about […]