Foreign Minister calls to reduce dangers to press freedom during COVID-19

Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has called to reduce the dangers to press freedom as a result of COVID-19. 

Speaking in the virtually held World Press Freedom Conference alongside ministers from several other nations, Minister Shahid said that free media plays an important role in connecting people with each other as the world traverses towards different ideologies. The Minister also said that free media helped to enrichen democracy and hold governments accountable. 

The Minister said that there were still attempts made to obstruct journalists in different nations of the world, despite the important and priceless work carried out by them.

The Minister stressed on the importance of protecting the freedom of the press during the current situation with the pandemic. 

He also added that the Maldivian media had been faced with harassment previously but that the current administration of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had started efforts to tackle these behaviors. 

He noted the amendments to the Defamation Act and the investigation into the murder of blogger Yameen and missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan as a testament to this.