Civil Society Organisations Call for End to Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists in Maldives

A coalition of civil society organisations, including the Maldives Journalists Association (MJA), Transparency Maldives, Association for Democracy in the Maldives (ADM), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Human Rights Watch (HRW), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), issued a joint statement urging the Maldives government to expedite investigations and prosecutions for crimes against journalists. The statement expressed concern over the criminal court's decision on 22 November 2023 to drop charges against the accused in the murders of journalist Ahmed Rilwan and blogger Yameen Rasheed. The organisations criticized the lack of transparency and negligence by investigating authorities, and called for publication of investigation reports, swift prosecutions, fresh investigations into negligence, and disclosure of the Prosecutor General's decision not to appeal. They warned that impunity creates fear and emboldens perpetrators.

A coalition of civil society organisations, including the Maldives Journalists Association (MJA), Transparency Maldives, Association for Democracy in the Maldives (ADM), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Human Rights Watch (HRW), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), issued a joint statement urging the Maldives government to expedite investigations and prosecutions for crimes against journalists. The statement expressed concern over the criminal court's decision on 22 November 2023 to drop charges against the accused in the murders of journalist Ahmed Rilwan and blogger Yameen Rasheed. The organisations criticized the lack of transparency and negligence by investigating authorities, and called for publication of investigation reports, swift prosecutions, fresh investigations into negligence, and disclosure of the Prosecutor General's decision not to appeal. They warned that impunity creates fear and emboldens perpetrators.

A coalition of civil society organisations, including the Maldives Journalists Association (MJA), Transparency Maldives, Association for Democracy in the Maldives (ADM), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Human Rights Watch (HRW), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), issued a joint statement urging the Maldives government to expedite investigations and prosecutions for crimes against journalists. The statement expressed concern over the criminal court's decision on 22 November 2023 to drop charges against the accused in the murders of journalist Ahmed Rilwan and blogger Yameen Rasheed. The organisations criticized the lack of transparency and negligence by investigating authorities, and called for publication of investigation reports, swift prosecutions, fresh investigations into negligence, and disclosure of the Prosecutor General's decision not to appeal. They warned that impunity creates fear and emboldens perpetrators.

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