Criminal Court on Tuesday acquitted opposition aligned Raajje TV journalist Mohamed Wisaam of charges of obstructing a police officer due to lack of evidence.
Wisaam was charged with obstructing the duty of a police officer, after he allegedly entered an area closed off to the public during an opposition protest in the capital Male in March 2015.
The judge however, ruled that the video footage presented by the prosecution failed to implicate the journalist of a crime, while the witness testimonies could not prove that the defendant had committed a crime.
Wisaam who had been fined MVR28,000 in a similar case, escaped a prison sentence by the acquittal.
Another journalist and a cameraman of Raajje TV were fined for similar charges as well.
Raajje TV COO Hussain Fiyaz Moosa is also on trial over a similar charge.
