First reporter fined under Anti-Defamation Act pays fine

The first reporter fined under the Anti-Defamation and Freedom of Speech Act, Aalaa Ibrahim has paid her MVR 50,000 fine to Broadcasting Commission.

Aalaa, 26, was fined due to an article she wrote on the rape case in Hithadhoo, Addu City in November, 2016. She was fined MVR 50,000 and her employer at the time – RajjeTV was fined MVR 200,000.

Aalaa spoke to “Sun” and said she paid the fine this Monday after Broadcasting Commission warned criminal charges would be pressed against her if she failed to make the payment.

“I paid the fine today. I didn’t receive any assistance from the station. I paid the fine with the assistance of a well-wisher,” said Aalaa.

She said she planned to appeal the penalty. And that she paid the fine because she would not appeal the issue otherwise.

A senior official from RajjeTV who spoke to “Sun” said he did not believe either Aalaa or the station should have been fined in the case, and that he told Aalaa to fight for her rights.

“If the station does not pay the fine its license will be cancelled. But the reporter has the opportunity to fight it, by even sending it to court. We told Aalaa to fight; that she wouldn’t have to go to jail and that we would pay the fine if it comes to that,” said the official from RajjeTV.

Neither Aalaa nor RajjeTV accepts the Broadcasting Commission’s decision to fine them.

Aalaa – who has worked in the media industry for nine years – says all her applications to other media stations were rejected due to the case.