Unites State’s State Department has expressed concern over the decision made by RaajjeTV to suspend regular programming.
In a statement published on Thursday, the opposition-aligned TV station said it has received threats, including calls for violence against its staff and to burn down the station by a mob gathered in front of RaajjeTV.
Spokesperson for the Department, Heather Nauert said that she was ‘deeply concerned’ over the station’s decision, adding that RaajjeTV was ‘the most-watched station’ in the Maldives. It also noted that the decision was taken ‘due to harassment, threats and intimidation since state of emergency’.
Deeply concerned that @Raajje_tv, the most-watched station in #Maldives, has suspended regular broadcasts due to harassment, threats and intimidation since state of emergency. We call for respect for rule of law, freedom of expression, and democratic institutions in the Maldives.
— Heather Nauert (@statedeptspox) February 9, 2018
In the statement released, RaajjeTV said the station had begun RaajjeTV, the most viewed channel in the country, began receiving threats following the Supreme Court ruling on February 1 to release nine political prisoners and reinstate 12 opposition MPs to the Parliament.
‘In spite of serious threats and intimidation, which escalated after the government’s declaration of a state of emergency, the police service has stopped protecting RaajjeTV while security is being provided to government-backed TV stations,’ the statement said.
