A free and vibrant press holds governments accountable and fosters strong democratic ideals.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid said this in his pre-recorded statement at the Ministerial Roundtable on the Safety of Journalists on the margins of the World Press Freedom Conference 2020.
The event was hosted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Stef Blok, and produced an outcome document - The Hague Commitment - that emphasized on the need to address the importance of the safety of journalists and media workers.
Minister Shahid stressed on the “pivotal role played by the free press in connecting a diverse and polarised world through continuous discourse” during his statement, adding that “a free and vibrant press holds governments accountable and it also fosters strong democratic ideals”.
He also expressed concern over the various challenges faced by journalists worldwide, emphasizing that the need for the protection of journalists “has become more crucial than ever”.
Further noting that Maldives is no stranger to press freedom challenges, Shahid said that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih assuming office in November 2018 “paved the way to end a culture of repression and impunity against journalists”.
One of President Solih’s first acts as president upon assuming office was to repeal the Anti-Defamation Act and formed a presidential inquiry commission, the “Commission on Deaths and Enforced Disappearances”, tasked with investigating unresolved murders and disappearances, such as the murder case of journalist Ahmed Rilwan.
“The Maldives has witnessed a fluctuating pattern in press freedom throughout the years. When President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih assumed office in 2018, it paved the way to end a culture of repression and impunity against journalists. With our renewed political will to restore the constitutional freedoms suppressed in the past, the anit-defamation act of 2016 was repealed and the Maldives Broadcasting Commission was reconstituted. The commission on investigation of murders and enforced disappearances established by presidential decree is a clear testament of our resolve to find justice for the journalist Ahmed Rilwan, whose enforce disappearance shook the nation with grief.”Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister Shahid further reiterated that freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental human right recognized throughout the course of history.
“Freedom of Speech and Expression is a fundamental right recognised throughout the course of history, from the Platonian Dialogues and the Proses of Voltaire to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Our presence here today to defend this very right is a symbolic reminder that the answer to any human dilemma lies within unity and dialogueAbdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs
