Committee to Protect Journalists condemns raid of Maldives Independent office
The New York-based press freedom organisation also called on the government to “immediately stop all attempts to intimidate the press, and send a clear message to Maldives Independent editor Zaheena Rasheed that she can return home without fear of persecution.”
13 Sep 2016, 9:00 AM
The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists has condemned a police raid of the Maldives Independent’s office in the wake of the online release of Al Jazeera’s Stealing Paradise.
“To raid a newspaper on the preposterous pretext that it was plotting a coup because its editor appeared in a documentary alleging corruption is a transparent attempt at intimidation,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative.
“The authorities should immediately stop all attempts to intimidate the press, and send a clear message to Maldives Independent editor Zaheena Rasheed that she can return home without fear of persecution.”
The raid came hours after the highly anticipated corruption exposé was posted online. A court warrant authorising the search alleged a conspiracy to overthrow the government, to sow discord, and to disrupt public order.
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