The Maldives is known as an island paradise. But, not so well known is the fact that it is a hell for journalists and dissidents who dare criticise the 28-year-old regime of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Last week, an International Press Freedom Mission released a report urging the Gayoom government to end the “arbitrary arrest, harassment and intimidation of journalists and dissidents”. The mission included representatives of media watchdog bodies like the International Federation of Journalists, International Media Support, Reporters Without Borders and the South Asia Press Commission. The release of the mission’s report nearly coincided with Maldivian viewers being suddenly denied access to the TV news channel of the BBC. While it was officially claimed that BBC was taken off the air following a contractual dispute between two cable operators, Medianet and B-Net, many suspect an attempt at content control.

“I appeal to the international community to pay attention to the brutal way in which citizens are being denied their fundamental rights and the way the media is gagged,” Aminath Najeeb, rights activist and editor of the ‘Minivan’ (freedom) newspaper, stated on the sidelines of the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) meet in Karachi, in June. Abdullah Saeed Fahala, a journalist reporting for Minivan, the only opposition daily published out of Male, was recently arrested on heroin trafficking charges. The police claimed packets of the drug were found on his person. But Najeeb claims the charges are false. The report of the International Press Freedom Mission states that journalists covering political events have been victims of the excessive police force and that journalists are also receiving death threats.

In response to government allegations against journalists that they have not acted in a responsible manner, Minivan has released a code of ethics for its staffers that has been drafted with assistance from the International Federation of Journalists and the Commonwealth Press Union. The code includes “a firm commitment to investigative journalism in the public interest” while emphasising the need for “balanced, sensitive and responsible news coverage”. On June 3, journalists organised a function to mark World Press Freedom Day. The police disrupted the function and confiscated equipment in the presence of representatives of international media watchdog organisations.

Under pressure from journalists, Gayoom has promised a “roadmap to reform” which includes a “bill on media freedom”. The journalistic community in Male insists that the bill should be brought in through a legislative process, rather than by presidential decree. Media watchdogs have said the clauses were too vague and could be easily abused by the authorities. On July 27, when the Minivan celebrated its first anniversary, its news editor Nazim Sattar was quoted as saying: “The government has tried everything to silence us, but we’re still here and we’re getting stronger.” — IPS