Reporters Without Borders, which condemns the many arbitrary arrests of journalists in recent months, got Minivan News website reporter Ahmed Naish
to describe how police arrested him during a protest by the opposition
Maldivian Democratic Party on 30 August and held him for 24 hours.
The media freedom NGO reminds the authorities that
arbitrary arrest violates article 46 of the Maldivian constitution,
which says: "Everyone has the right not to be arbitrarily detained, arrested or imprisoned except as provided by law by the People’s Majlis [parliament] in accordance with the article 16 of this constitution”.
Reporters Without Borders deplores the repeated
obstruction of media personnel in the course of their work and urges the
government to put a stop to arrests designed to intimidate journalists
and encourage self-censorship.
The media and netizens played an important role during
the Nasheed administration’s ouster in February, photographing and
filming aspects of the accompanying crackdown that embarrassed
authorities. Some journalists told Reporters Without Borders this was
the reason for the current increase in arrests of professional and
citizen journalists.
Riot police known as Special Operations (SO) stopped
Naish at 5:30 p.m. on 30 August in the Malé district of Sosun Magu as he
was photographing them arresting a young demonstrator. They asked him
for his press pass, which he did not have on him at the time, and, after
refusing to accept his business card as identification, handcuffed him
and led him away.
“My hands were tied behind my back with a clip and the
SO officer who did so kept tightening it," Naish said in his account.
"Another officer kept pinching my arms and hitting my ankles with his
boot, telling me to walk faster.”
More people were arrested, including two who had been taking photographs
or videos of the police. They were bundled into a vehicle and taken to
police headquarters and then transferred to a detention centre on
Dhoonidhoo, an island just to the north of the capital.
"They took my personal belongings (...) I was then
photographed and taken before an investigating officer (IO) who informed
me that I was arrested for obstructing police duty and causing public
disorder. I refused to sign the arrest form because, in addition to
stating a false reason for the arrest, the place of arrest noted in the
form was incorrect."
After being placed in a large cell with other people
arrested during the demonstration, Naish asked to see a doctor because
his wrists were swollen. The doctor sprayed his wrists and gave him a
painkiller. He was then allowed to speak to two lawyers and described to
them the circumstances of his arrest.
"I talked to seven people who were arrested similarly
for taking photographs. However all were accused of obstructing police
duty, disobeying orders and causing loss of public order."
At around 2 a.m., he was moved to a large cell where 25
other people were already being held. He was finally released without
charge the next afternoon, after being held for about 24 hours.
"I found out later than government-aligned private broadcaster Villa Television
showed footage of my arrest, which would have confirmed that the police
lied about the place of arrest. It would also show that I was not
jeopardizing public order."
Naish added that a journalist with Mini Radio 97FM, Ali Nahyk, was arrested on 31 August for similar reasons.
Maldives is ranked 73rd out of 179 countries in the 2011-2012 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index,
which was compiled before February’s turmoil, when President Mohamed
Nasheed was forced to resign and Vice-President Mohammed Waheed took
over. The media situation has worsened dramatically since then.
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