The government has condemned a violent attack on a Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC) journalist on Monday night, which left the journalist with a broken arm.
Newscaster Moosa Naushad was beaten up during an opposition protest late last night. Naushad said he was hit from behind and knocked to the ground, while some fifteen protesters kicked him and beat him with wooden clubs while he lay on the floor. He was taken to hospital by a passer by.
An MNBC news editor, Thoyyib Shaheem, who witnessed the attack was also injured by protesters, who fired what is believed to be a tazer gun at him when he tried to intervene on behalf of his colleague.
Eyewitnesses say members of the opposition protest last night were seen carrying sticks and rocks. According to media reports, opposition MPs Ilham Ahmed and Ahmed Mahloof were spotted among the demonstrators near where the attack took place.
Adhaalath Party president Sheikh Imran, one of the protest leaders, reportedly called on the crowd to wage 'jihad' against the government.
Earlier in the evening, senior Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) official Umar Naseer reportedly said during a TV interview that protesters "should even go for bloodshed."
Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair has condemned opposition parties for "lurching towards violence, thuggery and intimidation in order to achieve their political ends."
Zuhair added that opposition protesters have attacked no fewer than eight MNBC journalists in the past four days. He called on opposition parties to "respect journalists' right to report the news free from fear or intimidation."