Today the President or Head of the Military Junta who turned the Maldives into a stratocracy overnight who once called on freeing Burma’s opposition leader and invited Burmese journalists a safe heaven in the Maldives banned the media from reporting on the political situation of Maldives, particularly about his crackdown on the opposition leaders and supporters.

President Nasheed as soon as coming to power took the independent media including the national TV and Radio under his control by forming Media Control Board and employing a family member Muthalib to head over it. Since then the National TV and Radio ended up becoming propaganda machineries of the government about denying the opposition politicians and party’s air times during elections, political events and also unrest that have many times before left high profile leaders behind bars in detention and house arrest as is the case now. This time the targeted are not only MP’s but also the Leaders of the two most prominent political parties including the Leader of JP Gasim Ibrahim and Leader of PA Abdulla Yamin and his use of the Military and Police everywhere restricting the movement of the people after declaring his government a Military Junta arresting anyone that comes out to express in favour of the opposition, while his own parties are running around mad makes it a precarious situation in the Maldives.
Now Nasheed had got his Head of the Media Control Board to order all forms of Media to stop reporting on the events regarding the opposition leaders crackdown, and if they do they will be heavily penalised.
The President since he introduced military rule and declared himself the undisputed leader of the Maldives Military and Police is relying on them to run the country after he got rid of all the Cabinet Ministers two days ago with a mass resignation he orchestrated.
Today the local TV and Radio channels, the print media and journalists everywhere within Maldives are silenced under the blanket ban and every aspect of freedom of expression ceased to a stop. The ban means reporting of any event regarding the political situation, the arrested MP’s and crackdown on civilians that express solidarity behind the opposition will put the media outlets and journalists at risk of arbitrary arrest.
While the Capital Island and other major islands are heavily guarded by the Military martial’s and riot Police, the only thing that the Maldivian people not only in the country but across the globe have been relying on is the Press. The only newspaper that dared to report on the events, although too scared to say anything about it, and just gave a brief commentary of things as it happens , their server remains permanently down most of the time and therefore inaccessible, both in and out of Maldives. It is really hard for the Maldivian people who are worried sick and panicking everywhere about the safety of their loved ones involved in politics.
Getting rid of the Cabinet, arresting the opposition leaders and MP’s establishing Military rule, all within just two days, today, on the third day, Nasheed has successfully banned the media coverage of what is going on. This is the man who not so long ago said that he will invite journalists from Burma to come and write safely from Maldives, and called the Burmese government to free their opposition Leader. The same man has declared himself a Military Junta on national TV, banned media from reporting anything about his unjust, illegal imprisonment, house arrest of opposition leaders and MP’s as well as every single opposition supporter that tries to express against it.