Maldives Asked to Release Imprisoned Journalists

By: (AP) An International press watchdog group on Friday urged the release of three Maldives journalists -- including two sentenced to life imprisonment -- who were jailed over articles criticizing the country's president and government.

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders renewed its call for the early release of the journalists after Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom promised to introduce reforms to the prison system.

Gayoom promised the reforms in response to a report by London-based human rights group Amnesty International that accused his government of "endemic torture and unfair trials" after three Maldivian prisoners were killed in a riot last September.

Twenty-five other inmates were injured in the police crackdown on prisoners protesting alleged torture.

Mohamed Zaki, Aminath Didi and Ibrahim Luthfee, editors of the Internet newsletter Sandhaanu, and their assistant, Fathimath Nisreen, were arrested in January 2002. Luthfee subsequently escaped and Nisreen, who was sentenced to 10 years, had her punishment halved in November 2003, the statement said.

The press freedom group made a similar plea for the cyber dissidents' release last year.

The Internet newsletter carried articles denouncing corruption and abuse of power by the president, the statement said. "Their only crime was to have exercised their right to self-expression," it said.

The group also charged that Zaki and Didi were harassed and ill-treated after Luthfee escaped. "They are both held in harsh conditions, in unventilated cells and are only allowed to receive visits from their families once a month and limited to one hour," it said in a statement.

Police charged the four with defamation and "committing acts hostile to the government."

In December, Gayoom released 34 foreigners -- 16 Indians, 16 Sri Lankans, a Filipino and a Bangladeshi -- serving life sentences.

Officials said several other Indians, a Chinese citizen and a Czech are still in custody and being investigated for suspected immigration offenses and labor contract violations.

The Maldives archipelago is a nation of 278,000 people located 500 kilometers (300 miles) off the Indian coast.

Gayoom, 65, won an unprecedented sixth five-year term in a referendum in October. He was the only candidate on the ballot and secured 90.28% of the 113,992 votes polled.

The Maldives has three daily newspapers. Authorities discourage journalists from working for international news organizations.