RaajjeTV requests for stay order on paying MBC fine

RaajjeTV has filed for a stay order on paying the MVR 500,000 fine imposed by Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) for broadcasting content that allegedly impacted national security.

The request for stay order was filed in Civil Court on Sunday, which had requested for a stay order until the Court had reached a decision on the case filed in Court over the fine.

In a letter sent to RaajjeTV Chief Operating Officer Hussain Fiyaz Moosa, the Commission said RaajjeTV was penalized for broadcasting a statement made by Thimarafushi Constituency MP Mohamed Musthafa on July 28th during a live program.

The letter said that MP Musthafa had on the program, spoken in a manner that encouraged to overthrow the current Government, encourage to carry out an illegal act, encourage a loss to the legal government and encouraged action that negatively impacted on national security and the safety and security of the elected President of the Maldives. The fine, the letter said, was levied after investigating the case.

While the Commission had deemed MP Musthafa’s statements as endangering national security, no investigation had been carried out either by Maldives Police Service (MPS) and Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF).

In response to the case, RaajjeTV noted the Commission had raised three points as having violated broadcasting ethics. The second and third points, the station said were starkly different to that what was said by MP Musthafa and reported by RaajjeTV.

‘RaajjeTV had informed the Commission, as their own review statement was riddled with inaccuracies, we did not have to respond to the charges. In spite of this, the station was penalized, under selective and denied justice that has permeated the society,’ the statement read.

It noted that while the Commission had deemed MP Musthafa’s statements to be a threat to national security, laws of the nation are clear on which body can decide if a content is a threat to national security.

‘Clause seven (i) of the Defense Act, clearly states that the authority to investigate and determine what constitutes as a threat to national security lies with Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF). To this date, MNDF or any other security service had not carried out any investigation on the statement made by MP Musthafa on July 28, 2017, or determined if the Parliamentarian’s statements impacted national security. No statement to that effect had been released, at all,’ the statement read.

‘Even though, the station had raised valid legal and procedural notes on this, there is no point in responding to the allegations made, as the Commission had begun their investigation with the end goal of penalizing RaajjeTV,’ it added.

The statement went on to add that this was not the first time an individual or a station had sent out content that had called for ousting a Government. RaajjeTV noted that President Abdullah Yameen himself made similar remarks on DhiTV, when he himself was an opposition MP. Such views and statements had been broadcast multiple times, with the station questioning logic of the Commission.

‘There is no fairness or logic, while the content and essence is the same, when one statement is deemed alright and the other statement is deemed a threat to national security,’ it added.

The station’s statement added that the Commission had remained silent when calls to oust the Government were commonplace under the administration of former President Mohamed Nasheed. It noted that the said Commission had remained silent then, adding that records will testify that no action had been taken on such calls then.