Court bars former Haveeru staff from working for new paper
“We will jobless for the next two years. This is an absolute violation of our fundamental rights, our right to work anywhere we want. This is part of the government’s continuing crackdown on the press,” said assistant editor Ali Naafiz.
03 Jul 2016, 9:00 AM
The civil court has barred former staff of the now-defunct newspaper Haveeru from working at any other media organisation or media-related business until February 2018.
The order issued today by Judge Mohamed Haleem could force the closure of Mihaaru newspaper, which was set up in May by former Haveeru journalists who resigned en masse after the Maldives’ oldest newspaper was shut down amid an ownership dispute.
“If we continue, the home ministry can enforce the order and take back the operating license of Mihaaru. If we still continue we can be arrested and charged individually,” assistant editor Ali Naafiz told The Maldives Independent.
“We will jobless for the next two years. This is an absolute violation of our fundamental rights, our right to work anywhere we want. This is part of the government’s continuing crackdown on the press.”
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