Ex-President Nasheed calls to nullify Zareer's "unjust" verdict
Zareer was fined by MVR 3,000 on Monday
Zareer with RaajjeTV MD Ahmed Saleem and COO Fiyaz
Former President, and human rights icon, Mohamed Nasheed has called to nullify the verdict against RaajjeTV's senior videographer, Adam Zareer.
Criminal Court, on Monday, found Zareer guilty of obstruction charges, and sentenced him to pay a fine of MVR 3,000.
Zareer was charged with the obstruction of law enforcement officer in April 2016, over an arrest made while covering an opposition rally in March 2015.
Shortly after Zareer's sentencing, the self-exiled former President sent out a tweet, via his official twitter account, calling to nullify the verdict.
Noting that the trial against the RaajjeTV videographer was "unjust", Nasheed called to nullify his verdict.
Zareer is one of the four RaajjeTV journalists who were charged in 2016, over arrests made while in the line of duty. In addition to Zareer, Mohamed Wisam and Leevaan Ali Nasir were also charged with obstruction, while Chief Operating Officer, Hussain Fiyaz Moosa has been charged with "touching an officer without consent."
Wisam and Leevaan were found guilty of the charge on December 19, 2016, and sentenced to pay a fine of MVR 28,800, each, on January 24. They were charged over an arrest made while covering a bomb scare in the capital Male' City, in November 2015, along with Fiyaz.
State had raised two obstruction charges against Wisam, who was also arrested with Zareer in March 2015. His sentencing is scheduled for March 9.
In addition to Nasheed, former speaker of Parliament, Abdulla Shahid said that this was "an attack on freedom of media."
He emphasized that the guilty verdict on Zareer "is politically motivated."
Prior to the sentencing, Deputy PG leader of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Imthiyaz Fahmy emphasized that Zareer "is a media personnel, not a criminal," adding that "only autocrats fear journalists."
