Monday 25th Nov 2024
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Press Freedom

Ruling party stooge threatens arson attack on Dhiyares

A member of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has warned an arson attack on Dhiyares, the sister paper of The Maldives Journal.
The said member is a staff of FENAKA, the state utilities corporation.
Dhiyares had reported that a staff of Housing Development Corporation (HDC) had harassed the female journalists at Dhiyares. An individual attached with FENAKA branch in Hoarafushi Island in Ha Alif Atoll, had commented on the article. The comment warned of an arson attack, if Dhiyares continued to publish articles and exposes of the nature.
The HDC staff threatening the female journalists had harassed the female journalists, calling them at odd hours.
The filth-laden diatribe was not the first instance of a warning given to Dhiyares. A similar warning was given by another staff at FENAKA. The cases have been brought to attention of Maldives Police Service (MPS).
In spite of massive pledges for press freedom, the administration of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is known for harsh crackdowns on press and media freedom. The country has progressively slipped on media freedom rankings. Most of the media have faced allegations of cash for coverage, with public commenting that there was no room for free media in the country.