Maldives Government accused of media intimidation

Journalists have reportedly been threatened and harassed by officials from the Maldives Government over their television coverage of a political crisis and the recent arrest of the nation's top criminal court judge. The Maldives Journalists' Association claim television stations are being penalised for airing opposition politicians' comments that are considered lies by the authorities. In addition, independent regulator the Maldives Broadcasting Commission has accused Communication Minister Adil Saleem of threatening to withdraw frequencies of particular television and radio stations. "We are concerned that the recent attempts to intimidate the media both directly and indirectly will result in grave consequences to the maturing process of an infant industry," said the Maldives Broadcasting Commission. According to Zee News, Saleem has denied allegations of harassment, however he confirmed the commission has been warned that frequencies may be withdrawn until the regulator sets out effective media monitoring. "We are for media freedom, we are for democracy. All we are saying is not to deceive the public," said Saleem. The Minister has accused some television stations of airing old video clips in an attempt to exaggerate the crowd participation during live coverage of opposition protests in the Indian Ocean archipelago. Judge Abdulla Mohamed, who released an opposition leader who had been detained without a warrant, was arrested by the military on Monday (16 January). The Supreme Court and the prosecutor general have both called for his release.