Maldives' resistance figures fight back on social media

Former Maldivian president Mohamed NasheedAs security forces surrounded his home shortly after a state of emergency had been declared in the Maldives 80yearold expresident Maumoon Abdul Gayoom deftly hit social media to tell the world of his impending arrest The government quickly sought to control the flow of information out of the famed Indian Ocean holiday islands following its declaration late last night according to local media outlets and the Committee to Protect Journalists an international watchdogHowever Gayoom opposition politicians and even the Supreme Court gave a blowbyblow account of the dramatic events via Twitter Periscope and other social media platforms Moments after posting a tweet stating that a large number of police had converged on his home Gayoom calmly delivered a live video message that was aired by an opposition politician on her Periscope accountRight now police are here to arrest me I remain steadfast in my resolve Gayoom said in a quiet voice I dont know what charges they have against me I have not done anything to be arrested I urge you to remain steadfast in your resolve too he addedWe will not give up on the reform work we are doing I wish all Maldivians success Remain courageous and I pray Allah almighty to direct us to the right path When the Maldives top judge was arrested on Tuesday officials from the Supreme Court similarly fought back via social mediaBREAKING NEWS THE NATIONAL DEFENSE FORCES OF THE MALDIVES HAVE BROKEN INTO THE SUPREME COURT OF THE MALDIVES said a post on judiciarymv the official account of the countrys top court After authorities detained Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and another Supreme Court judge it was unclear who had control of the accountThis is to inform that the Supreme Court of the Maldives continues to function under the guidance of the Judicial Council another tweet on the account said Since coming to power in 2013 President Abdulla Yameen has presided over an escalating crackdown on dissent that has battered the image of the nation and left almost all the political opposition jailedThe Supreme Courts shock decision last week to order the release of political dissidents and quash the conviction of exiled opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed among others sparked the crisis Gayoom president for 30 years until the countrys first democratic elections in 2008 and Yameens estranged half brother was detained after he sided with the oppositionThe New Yorkbased Committee to Protect Journalists released a statement after the state of emergency was declared condemning what it said was a government attack on the press Authorities in the Maldives must immediately stop trying to exert control over the media and access to information Steven Butler the CPJs Asia programme coordinator said in a statementThe Maldives should abide by its constitutional commitment to the freedom of speech The Maldives Broadcasting Commission warned media outlets last week they could be shut down if they were deemed a threat to national security according to the CPJCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news current affairs from Mumbai local news crime news and breaking headlines hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the goThe contentreporting displayed on our website wwwmiddaycom is provided ASIS AS AVAILABLE by us from third party agencies sources without any verification from our side It may contain error bugs and other limitations The readers can rely on the content at their own will Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability data text images video messages or any other material whatsoever or for any claimslossaction that the reader may suffer as a result of relying on the content on our site Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeverTrending Video