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Maldives broadcasting regulator fires defamation warning over Al Jazeera expose

Mohamed Visham
07 September 2016, MVT 20:01
A screen grab of the Al Jazeera documentary “Stealing Paradise’ shows a former aide of jailed former VP Adheeb.
Mohamed Visham
07 September 2016, MVT 20:01

Hours after Al Jazeera released a documentary exposing mass corruption and abuse of power in the Maldives, the archipelago's broadcasting regulator warned heavy penalties for any violations of the recently adopted defamation law.

Created by the Emmy and BAFTA winning Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit, the documentary titled ‘Stealing Paradise’ contains leaked documents, text messages and recorded confessions that has blown the lid off corruption, thuggery and international money laundering in the island nation.

According to the Doha based broadcaster, the leak is the contents of three mobile phones which it says belonged to the now jailed former vice president Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor.

The documentary accuses top government officials including incumbent president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom of orchestrating the theft of millions in state funds.

In a statement, Maldives Broadcasting Commission predominantly reminded broadcasters of the law, which the government pushed through its control in the parliament despite widespread international criticism, criminalises speech deemed to be defamatory, to comment against “any tenet of Islam”, to “threaten national security” or to “contradict general social norms”.

Broadcasting commission chief Mohamed Shaheeb at the parliamentary committee reviewing the defamation bill. MIHAARU FILE PHOTO/NISHAN ALI

The commission said several complaints had already been received of possible slander and libel over the documentary.

Those committing an offence under the bill can face fines and failure to pay the fine will result in jail sentence of three to six months.

The bill now compels journalists to reveal their sources to prove the veracity of their published articles, news reports or comments and allows for media licenses to be cancelled in addition to the criminal liability faced by individual journalists.

Those found guilty of breaking the new law will be fined between 50,000 Maldivian rufiya ($3,200) and 2 million rufiya ($130,000) or face a jail term of between three and six months.

The statement also warned strict action against those found guilty of defamation when broadcasting or re-broadcasting the contents in the documentary.

Government has spurned the documentary by insisting that the Doha based broadcaster had failed to provide any evidence to substantiate the allegations against president Yameen.

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