Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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05COLOMBO1823 | 2005-10-18 11:19:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Colombo |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. |
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001823 |
1. (C) Summary: In a perceived crackdown on an opposition newspaper, police in Male detained two popular columnists for "Minivan" on October 13 on charges unrelated to journalism. Mohamed Nasheed and Ablo Saeed were summoned to the police station and detained on respective charges of "instigating incitement activity" in connection to the August 12-14 disturbances and possible drug possession. Both are columnists for "Minivan," the only opposition newspaper which began production in July 2005 and has, according to its staff, quickly become the biggest-selling newspaper in the country. (Note: The Minivan radio station and web site, based in Colombo, has been operational for a couple of years. It was formerly officially the organ of the opposition Maldives Democratic Party (MDP), although its director claims they are independent of the party now. End Note.) Nasheed is also an MDP supporter, and was scheduled to address a rally the day after his detention and was predicted to run for MP for Male in the upcoming by-election. Maldives Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Shaheed stressed to Poloff that these charges are unrelated to the journalists' work for "Minivan" and upheld the GORM's commitment to free press and human rights. However, with over half of "Minivan" staff under investigation, Editor Aminath Najeeb claims that the government is systematically targeting the opposition press. End Summary. Criminals in "Minivan"? -------------------------- 2. (C) Maldives police summoned popular columnist and Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) supporter Mohamed Nasheed with a "chit" to the police station on October 13. Nasheed is popularly known as the "Colonel," a name given to acknowledge his time spent in the National Security Service (NSS) and to distinguish him from the MDP Chairman by the same name. The Colonel, who is predicted to run as an MP for the MDP in the upcoming by-election, has been detained in connection with the August 12-14, 2005 disturbances in Male. Although the police have already released most of the approximately 100 people arrested in the protests, Foreign Minister Shaheed told Poloff in a phone conversation on October 17 that the Colonel's case has been under investigation for the last two months, but is entirely unrelated to his work as a journalist. According to Shaheed, the Colonel gave a speech criticizing police during the disturbances, which may have incited the mobs, and took advantage of unspecified "sensitive" information that he gained during his training with the NSS. However, "Minivan" staff in Sri Lanka Paul Roberts questioned the police's decision to postpone his detention until October 13, one day before he was scheduled to address an MDP rally in Male. 3. (C) Ablo Saeed, popularly known as "Fahala," was detained on unknown charges, but is likely to be linked to drug possession. Saeed's wife told "Minivan" that when Fahala turned himself in voluntarily at the station, the police forced a statement without the presence of his lawyer, strip-searched him, took his clothing away and then planted drugs in the pockets of his pants. FM Shaheed did not know the exact charges against Fahala, but claimed that he has a track record of drug abuse and crime. When asked about Saeed's wife's accusations, Shaheed maintained that he had personally told the police to follow proper procedures. Saeed's wife refuted reports that her husband would have carried drugs into the station when he was summoned, and added that the detention is certainly connected to his work at "Minivan." "Minivan" Putters Along -------------------------- 4. (U) From his office in Sri Lanka, "Minivan" journalist and UK citizen Paul Roberts told Poloff that seven of the fifteen Maldives staff are currently under investigation, evidence that the government is targeting journalists who criticize the government. Although the newly appointed Minister of Information approved "Minivan's" registration in July 2005 after a year of indecision, Roberts noted that the government administration remains largely unchanged and is unwilling to put up with media criticism. Under Maldivian press laws, if a paper is unable to print three consecutive editions, it is automatically de-registered. Despite the investigations and detentions of half of the staff, Roberts predicted that "Minivan" would continue to print, but he remained concerned, however, about the string of attacks against the media. "Individually, the investigations, blacklisted journalists and arrests could be seen as unconnected," he observed, "but taken together, they represent the government's attempt to prevent free media in the Maldives." FM Shaheed Committed to Freedom of the Press -------------------------- 5. (C) FM Shaheed claimed to PolOff that these arrests are unrelated to journalism and upheld the GORM's commitment to a free media. "The Government does not make arrests based on opposition to the President," Shaheed stressed, adding that "compared to two years ago, the Maldives has complete freedom of the press." He did, however, admit that the biggest challenge to a modern, liberal democracy in the Maldives is the lack of a transparent legal structure. He called for the government to enact a Police Powers Act to place limits on arrests and codify legal procedures. That said, interpreting these two arrests as a crackdown on the press would be "mislabeling the situation" he concluded. Political Crackdown or Law and Order Problem? -------------------------- 6. (C) The government has allowed the creation of the opposition structure, but just like the recent moves to inhibit the new opposition parties' ability to play a functional role in the political process, the GORM now appears to be limiting the ability of the press to perform the full range of media functions, including criticism of the government. After delaying "Minivan's" publication by a year, to put seven of the fifteen staff under investigation within the first three months and detain MDP supporters on questionable charges raises serious questions about the GORM's commitment to the free press. Shaheed was very concerned that these cases not be "mislabeled" by the international community and defensive of the Maldives' human rights record, but he recognized the shortcomings in the government's legal structure. Further developments in these cases will reveal whether the government is sincerely attempting to tackle problems of law and order as the Foreign Minister attested, or merely attempting to restrict political criticism in the press. LUNSTEAD |