RaajjeTV has stated that the station does not believe the real perpetrators of the attack on the station still have not been brought to justice.
In a statement released to mark the fourth year to the arson attack on the station, RaajjeTV noted that only one individual had been charged in connection to the attack.
‘The state has brought up allegations against one individual in their case over the attack, which was blatantly terrorist in its nature. The station views their prosecution of this individual to be an absolute and utter joke. Unless those responsible for the premeditated attack are apprehended and punished, the state’s prosecution of a single individual at snail-speed is meaningless and in no way just,’ the statement said.
Reflecting on the severity of the attack, RaajjeTV statement added that the station and its staff hoped that no other media would have to undergo such an attack. It noted that RaajjeTV had always supported and advocated for free, open and independent journalism and media.
‘It was the biggest and most dangerous attack on the press that the Maldives has seen to date thus far and while authorities claim that their investigation into the attack is ongoing, allegations that members of government had been involved is immensely disconcerting,’ the statement said.
Noting that four years back investigative authorities had pledged to ‘leave no stone unturned’ in their pursuit of apprehending those responsible, RaajjeTV said this pledge had ‘now lost its novelty’ and that the ‘republic has failed its people’.
RaajjeTV also refuted the claims made by individuals that the attack was self-inflicted, as a means to gain from insurance claims.
‘However, as our provider can attest, Raajje Television had been working to renew our insurance coverage at the time of the attack. Thus, the damages caused by the attack, calculated by an external audit to be in excess of MVR 11.5 million, had been entirely ours to suffer,’ it said.
The station’s statement added they had appealed for assistance from the Government but is yet to receive any response.
‘Instead, this station, with a hundred percent Maldivian staff, has since dealt with various allegations of slander and obstruction of justice. The state had raised charges against four of our journalists and subjected us to a fine of MVR 1.2 million, which this station has acquired for the state,’ it added.
RaajjeTV premises were torched in the early hours of 7th October 2013.
