Secretary General of Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) Owais Aslam Ali has sent a letter to President Abdulla Yameen, demanding immediate withdrawal of the MVR 2 million fine against RaajjeTV.

In a press statement on Friday, PPF stated that its secretary general urged Maldives authorities to stop targeting broadcasters and respect press freedom.

The Maldives Broadcasting Commission imposed MVR 2 million (USD 130,000) on Raajje TV for broadcasting a politician’s speech from an opposition protest that was considered to be derogatory towards President Abdulla Yameen and a threat to national security.

Since March 2017 this is the fourth time that the commission has imposed a fine on the channel and this is the largest fine imposed under the Defamation Act for its content during an opposition protest.

RaajjeTV has said that the MVR two million fine is a targeted attack with no legal basis to obstruct its efforts to make President Yameen’s government accountable ahead of the September polls.

RaajjeTV has opened a 'defamation' fund following the hefty fine.