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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Saturday, May 13, 2017
KILLING OF YAMEEN RASHEED UNDERSCORES URGENT NEED FOR REFORM IN THE MALDIVES
Image:Yameen Rasheed’s family submit a petition to Maldives Police Services to investigate his murder. Dying Regime on Flickr.
48 rights groups strongly condemn the brutal murder of popular blogger
Yameen Rasheed in what is believed to be an attack motivated by his
political and social commentary. Maldivian authorities are urged to hold
all perpetrators to account and to implement reforms to improve the
broader free expression environment in the country.
Your Excellency,
The undersigned civil society organisations write to you to condemn in
the strongest terms the murder of internationally recognised Maldivian
blogger Yameen Rasheed. We call on the government to take all necessary
measures to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are
brought to justice and to end the cycle of impunity for attacks on
journalists, bloggers, and human rights defenders that has taken root in
the Maldives.
Yameen Rasheed was an impassioned critic who reported on issues related
to corruption, radicalism, and impunity, mainly through his popular
blog The Daily Panic. In 2015, IFEX helped to support Yameen to speak out on
these issues at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. His witty and
relentless condemnation of systemic injustice earned him praise, but
also drew the attention of religious extremists and government officials
who felt threatened by his social and political commentary.
Yameen Rasheed had reported numerous death threats before his attack.
The police refused to act on any of his complaints. Reports since his
killing suggest that the crime scene had been tampered with before a
thorough review of evidence could be carried out. Furthermore, the
family of Yameen Rasheed has reported harassment by local police who
sought to prevent them from making public calls for justice for the
death of their son. Such troubling reports raise doubts about the
authorities’ commitment to ensure that a proper investigation takes
place.
Yameen’s case is emblematic of the growing intolerance for
ideas and opinions that challenge the role of religion in society
throughout South Asia. Similar to countries like Pakistan and
Bangladesh, in the Maldives, harassment of individuals that promote
moderate or secular views has been common, and is justified by both
militant criminal groups and sympathetic politicians on the grounds that
these ideas are “un-Islamic.”
Yameen is one of three recent high-profile cases of attacks on media
personnel in the Maldives over the past five years. In 2012 Ismail Rasheed,
a freelance journalist and human rights campaigner, barely survived
after having his throat slit near his home in the Maldivian capital,
Malé. In 2014, Ahmed Rilwan,
journalist for Minivan News, was abducted from his office and remains
missing to this day. Rilwan was a close friend of Yameen’s, and much of
Yameen’s work was focused on finding justice for Rilwan’s abduction. In
all cases there has been a lack of adequate police investigation and
response.
There are further causes for concern in the broader Maldivian free expression environment. The country ranks 117th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2017 Press Freedom Index, due in large part because of restrictive laws such
as the 2016 “Protection of Reputation and Good Name and Freedom of
Expression Bill”, which criminalises defamation based on an overly broad
definition of the offence. Public threats have frequently been issued
against independent media by politicians, criminal gangs and religious
extremists and have helped to create a climate of hostility that has led
to self-censorship.
Imprisonment of journalists and activists is also a common tactic used to silence critical voices.
Yameen Rasheed’s death should serve as a strong indicator of the need
for immediate steps to protect space for dissent and debate in the
Maldives, space that is threatened by draconian laws and impunity for
attacks committed against individuals expressing controversial or
adversarial opinions. As such, we call on the government to take the
following measures:
• Ensure that a timely, thorough, and transparent investigation into the
killing of Yameen Rasheed takes place and all perpetrators of this
crime against freedom of expression are brought to justice. Similar
action should be taken in the cases of Ismail Rasheed and Ahmed Rilwan;
• Investigate and hold accountable all those who make threats or incite
violence against journalists, bloggers, and human rights defenders, as
well as against the family of Yameen Rasheed;
• Amend or repeal laws that create disproportionate and unnecessary
limits to legitimate expression, according to standards specified in
Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
ratified by the Maldives in 2006;
• Implement legislation and other measures to create a safe and enabling
environment for journalists and human rights defenders, according to
relevant recommendations accepted by the Maldives during its 2nd cycle
Universal Periodic Review (UPR);
• Improve independence of the judiciary and build technical capacity of
the police force through international assistance and other reforms, as
agreed to by the Maldives during its 2nd cycle UPR.
Signed,
Bytes for All
Adil Soz – International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech
Afghanistan Journalists Center
ARTICLE 19
Association for Media Development in South Sudan
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
Cambodian Center for Human Rights
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility
Committee to Protect Journalists
Foundation for Press Freedom – FLIP
Freedom Forum
Free Media Movement
Global Voices Advox
Globe International Center
Human Rights Network for Journalists – Uganda
Index on Censorship
Institute of Mass Information
International Press Centre
International Publishers Association
MARCH
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
Media Institute of Southern Africa
Pakistan Press Foundation
Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms – MADA
PEN American Center
PEN Canada
PEN International
Reporters Without Borders
Vigilance pour la Démocratie et l’État Civique
Adil Soz – International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech
Afghanistan Journalists Center
ARTICLE 19
Association for Media Development in South Sudan
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
Cambodian Center for Human Rights
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility
Committee to Protect Journalists
Foundation for Press Freedom – FLIP
Freedom Forum
Free Media Movement
Global Voices Advox
Globe International Center
Human Rights Network for Journalists – Uganda
Index on Censorship
Institute of Mass Information
International Press Centre
International Publishers Association
MARCH
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
Media Institute of Southern Africa
Pakistan Press Foundation
Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms – MADA
PEN American Center
PEN Canada
PEN International
Reporters Without Borders
Vigilance pour la Démocratie et l’État Civique
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development
Awaz Foundation Pakistan, Centre for Development Services
Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha
Bangladesh Manobadhikar Sangbadik Forum
Center for Social Activism
Center for Media Research – Nepal
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
FIDH, in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
Front Line Defenders
Free Press Unlimited
Maldivian Democracy Network
Peoples’ Vigilance Committee on Human Rights
People’s Watch India
Pakistan NGOs Forum
Programme Against Custodial Torture and Impunity
South Asian Women in Media – Sri Lanka
South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
Awaz Foundation Pakistan, Centre for Development Services
Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha
Bangladesh Manobadhikar Sangbadik Forum
Center for Social Activism
Center for Media Research – Nepal
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
FIDH, in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
Front Line Defenders
Free Press Unlimited
Maldivian Democracy Network
Peoples’ Vigilance Committee on Human Rights
People’s Watch India
Pakistan NGOs Forum
Programme Against Custodial Torture and Impunity
South Asian Women in Media – Sri Lanka
South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), in the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders