7th October marks five years since RaajjeTV was torched, justice yet to be served

Today marks five years since privately-run broadcaster, Raajje Television’s premises were set ablaze.

RaajjeTV’s main studio, located in BKT Building on the outlying Boduthakurufaanu road was torched in the early hours of the 07th of October, 2013, after the stations had been receiving arson threats, which were reported to the Maldives Police Service.

The arson, which was plotted throughout the Presidential Election period, had caused incalculable damage to the premises, with all of its equipment being destroyed beyond use, the costs of damages reaching well over MVR 11 million.

While five masked men had entered the building having held the security officer at knifepoint, they had broken down the steel gates and the studio door, doused the station’s control room in petrol and set the studio ablaze, justice is not yet in the horizon for RaajjeTV.

While the state had raised charges against Mohamed Mee’aad of Henveyru Gaswa, his trial is still ongoing at the court.

Since the massive arson attack, throughout the course of five years RaajjeTV continued to receive threats and oppressions by both the government and it’s supporters. As such, baseless charges were raised against four employees of the station, with three employees having being slapped with fines and an exorbitant MVR 3.7 million fine under the Anti-Defamation bill was also slapped on the station on four separate occasions.