Maldives / Asia

  
Maldives blogger Yameen Rasheed (left) was stabbed to death in 2017 and journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla's family never received his body after his 2014 disappearance.

CPJ joins call for Maldives commission to reveal findings to victims’ families, public

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 11 partner organizations on Tuesday in calling on the Maldives’ Presidential Commission on Deaths and Disappearances (DDCom), newly elected President Mohamed Muizzu, and the country’s Human Rights Commission to ensure that the findings of DDCom’s investigations are revealed to the victims’ families and made public before its expected dissolution…

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CPJ calls on Maldives authorities to swiftly investigate threats against 2 Dhauru journalists

New York, April 11, 2023–Maldives authorities must swiftly and impartially investigate the recent threats of violence and death sent to journalists Ahmed Naaif and Ahmed Zahir and ensure their safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. Beginning on April 7, four unidentified numbers messaged threats to Naaif following the publication of an article by…

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Maldives journalist Hussain Juman arrested, assaulted by police while covering opposition rally

New York, March 17, 2023– Maldives authorities should investigate the police assault of journalist Hussain Juman, refrain from filing any charges against him in retaliation for his work, and ensure members of the press can cover protests freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On the evening of Thursday, March 16, Maldives police assaulted…

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Maldives parliament considers amendment restricting journalists’ coverage of elections

New York, March 15, 2023—Maldives legislators should reject or revise a recently proposed legislative amendment restricting journalists’ ability to cover elections, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. On Monday, March 13, the Maldives parliament opened debate regarding an amendment to the country’s General Elections Act proposed in mid-February by a lawmaker with the ruling…

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Police assault 2 journalists covering political protest in the Maldives

New York, February 7, 2023 – Maldives authorities must swiftly investigate the recent assaults of journalists Hassan Shaheed and Ahmed Misbaah and ensure that members of the press can report on public events without fear of violence by police, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. On the morning of Monday, February 6, police officers…

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CPJ joins call for Maldives to repeal or amend provision of Evidence Act

On July 25, 2022, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined nine press freedom, freedom of expression, and human rights groups in a statement calling on the Maldives government to repeal or amend a provision of the recently ratified Evidence Act, which allows courts to compel journalists and media organizations to reveal their sources on the…

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Maldives legislature considers bill that could force journalists to reveal sources

Washington, D.C., October 1, 2021 — Maldives legislators must reject a provision of the proposed Evidence Bill that would allow courts to compel journalists and media outlets to reveal their sources, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The bill, which CPJ reviewed, includes a broad provision allowing courts to order outlets and journalists to…

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Family members of Maldivian journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla are seen in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on August 28, 2018. A presidential commission in the Maldives recently announced that the journalist was killed in 2014. (Reuters/Dinuka Liyanawatte)

Maldives journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla killed by Al-Qaeda group in 2014, commission finds

New Delhi, September 3, 2019 — Maldivian authorities should prosecute those responsible for the 2014 killing of journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla, including the planners of the attack as well as any government officials who interfered in the investigation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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CPJ calls on Maldives to empower commission on enforced disappearances and murders

CPJ writes to the speaker of the People’s Majlis, asking him to strengthen press freedom in the Maldives and commit to pursuing justice and ending impunity by calling for a vote on a bill to grant investigative powers to the presidential commission on enforced disappearances and murders.

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Fathimath Shehenaz holds a sign outside the Malé parliament in February, calling for justice for her brother, the blogger Ahmed Rilwan, who was abducted in 2014. (CPJ)

Maldives commission renews hope of justice for Rilwan and Rasheed

Mission Journal: With a new presidential commission investigating the abduction of Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla and the murder of Yameen Rasheed, CPJ’s Asia program research associate Aliya Iftikhar travels to Malé in late February to speak with the bloggers’ families about their pursuit of justice, and with authorities about the progress and challenges in the cases.

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