Maldives' broadcasting regulator on Thursday again handed a MVR 1 million (USD64,850) fine under the new anti-defamation law to opposition aligned Raajje TV.
Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) said during a Maldives United Opposition (MUO) rally on October 26, 2016, Raajje TV had broadcast a defamatory speech aimed at president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.
Under the new anti-defamation law broadcasters are mandated to cut the live feed over possible libel content.
The MBC report said the TV station admitted to broadcasting the libel content, but had refused to accept that president Yameen's reputation had been harmed by the comments made during the speech.
The commission however disagreed, saying in the report that the comments had been intended for the public to question the legal authority and responsibilities of the president.
Raajje TV is required to pay the fine to the commission within 30 days.
The law passed last year by the parliament despite widespread criticism, criminalises speech deemed to be defamatory, to comment against “any tenet of Islam”, to “threaten national security” or to “contradict general social norms”.
Those committing an offence under the bill can face fines and failure to pay the fine will result in jail sentence of three to six months.
This is second time the opposition aligned Raajje TV has been found guilty of libel over a report of a social worker named Fasaahath Hussain had tried to persuade the family of a rape victim in Seenu Atoll Hithadhoo island to cover up the incident.
Fasaahath had claimed defamation saying that Raajje TV had failed to obtain a comment before airing the report.
MBC after investigating the complaint had found Raajje TV in violation of the defamation law and had fined the station MVR200,000 (USD12,970). The commission had also found the journalist responsible for the news report liable and slapped a MVR50,000 (USD3,242) fine.
