President Mohamed Nasheed has reiterated that the government would take appropriate action to protect the media. He made this statement while speaking at the inauguration of Maldives donor conference.
Condemning the attacks on journalists from DhiTV and Haveeru newspaper, President said “I don’t care whether you are a gangster, or whether you are a senior politician controlling the gangsters...”
Stating that press freedom in the Maldives was now strengthening, President said “we don’t mind criticism; indeed we welcome it,” he said.
However, he called on “certain sections of the media to be more responsible” and said that journalists should be mindful of the consequences of their actions.
Last year, the Maldives climbed 53 places in Reporters Without Borders’ global press freedom index and the Maldives is now ranked six places behind France for freedom of the press.
