Joint Open
Letter to the Government of Maldives
12 May 2017
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
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development
(FORUM-ASIA)
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
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