Editor at Maldives Independent, Zaheena Rasheed, has
revealed that the female journalists who were arrested from the press
freedom protest on Sunday have decided to submit a case to the Human
Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) over sexual harassment by
police.
Speaking to RaajjeMV, Zaheena said that the female journalists were
subjected to two strip searches within a short period of 20 minutes
following their arrest.
She also said that the area where they were strip-searched was accessible to everyone in the detention facility.
“We were held in a cell in squalid conditions. The place was full of rats and ants and had a blocked toilet”, she added.
Furthermore, the journalist claimed that officers at ‘Atoll Vehi’
detention facility had requested her to report on the poor condition of
the facility.
Among sixteen journalists arrested on Sunday, seven were women.
Voice of Women, an umbrella organisation working for women's rights in
the Maldives has also expressed concern over allegations of sexual
harassment of female journalists by the police.
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