There are no legal barriers for the press in broadcasting interviews of and messages of individuals serving criminal sentences, says former attorney general Dhiyana Saeed.
Saeed said this following the Maldives Broadcasting Commission’s decision on Tuesday to penalize media outlets that do broadcast such content.
The commission made the decision claiming that convicts do not have the right to participate in political activities nor do they the right to carry out the conduct of their profession.
Dhiyana, who was also the former secretary general of SAARC, responded in a post on her Twitter account, saying that the Broadcasting Commission and the Home Ministry should ‘not confuse fantasy with law’.
Both RN & Hon. Qasim are asylees whose rights are protected by international law; they are not prisoners held in State custody.
— Dhiyana (@dhiyanasaid) May 29, 2018
It is perfectly legal for the media to publish/broadcast their interviews & statements.@broadcomMV & Home Min should not confuse fantasy with law. pic.twitter.com/jgFdrFOaRt
The commission’s decision has been decribed as a deliberate attempt to hinder the Joint Opposition’s political activities ahead of the presidential elections this year.
Both former president Mohamed Nasheed and MP Qasim Ibrahim are in self-exile after having been sentenced to jail terms on charges decribed as politically motivated.
