Statement on ‘protective custody’ for journalists in Faafu atoll
The police took Maldives Independent journalists Hassan Mohamed and Hassan Moosa into “protective custody” on the island of Nilandhoo, Faafu Atoll, on Wednesday after ruling party supporters threatened them with assault.
02 Mar 2017, 9:00 AM
The police took Maldives Independent journalists Hassan Mohamed and Hassan Moosa into “protective custody” on the island of Nilandhoo, Faafu Atoll, on Wednesday night after ruling party supporters threatened them with assault.
Mohamed, 27, and Moosa, 22, were on the island ahead of a state visit to the Maldives by the King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who is expected to sign a US$10 billion deal to develop the atoll.
They were held overnight and released at 10am on Thursday morning. The police refused to let the pair contact their families or editors, and turned down a request by the Maldives Independent to speak to them on Wednesday night.
“We are extremely disappointed with the police conduct in handling the complaint lodged by our journalists. The police claimed they were held in protective custody but they were treated like suspects,” said Ahmed Naish, acting editor of the Maldives Independent.
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