Maldives crisis: Indian scribe among two AFP journalists arrested
New Delhi, Feb 9 (IBNS): An Indian reporter and a British journalist bearing Indian origin have been arrested in Maldives where a State of Emergency has been declared following the refusal of the Government to abide by the unanimous ruling of the full bench of the Supreme Court.
The Maldives Police have confirmed the arrest.
According to reports, the scribes belonged to Agence France-Presse.
In response to a query about media reports on the arrest of an Indian national in Maldives, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said:''We have received information about an Indian national, Shri Money Sharma, working as a journalist, who has been detained by the Maldivian authorities. We have asked our Embassy to get in touch with the local authorities to ascertain more details of the case.''
On Thursday, a leading TV station was forced to shut down in Maldives.
The latest political crisis in Maldives has been triggered by a Supreme Court verdict that had directed release of nine imprisoned opposition political leaders.
The government of President Yameen refused to implement the Supreme Court ruling and instead clamped a 15-day state emergency and cracked down on the apex court itself, even as protests rocked capital Male.
The present crisis was triggered when the Supreme Court directed Yameen to release from jail nine opposition leaders who were arrested on politically motivated charges.
Yameen instead of following the court order, retaliated by cracking down on the Supreme Court itself suspending its powers and arresting judges.
Present President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom representing Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) is half brother of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom who had ruled the Islamic island nation from 1978 to 2008 uninterruptedly.
Gayoom was defeated in the October 2008 presidential election but in September 2011, he returned as the leader of the newly formed Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).
Yameen was elected as President in 2013, defeating Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) leader and former president Mohamed Nasheed in the 2013 elections.
In 2016, Nasheed was given asylum in the United Kingdom after he was convicted under the Anti-Terrorism Act of Maldives for arresting Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed though international rights group like Amnesty International has described the conviction as "politically motivated".
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