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Fighting for our rights

EDITORIAL

CONSTITUTION OF THE MALDIVES

CHAPTER II - FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF CITIZENS

Equality of Citizens before the Law

13. Maldivian citizens are equal before and under the law and are entitled to the equal protection of the law.

Freedom of Expression

25. Every citizen shall have the freedom to express his conscience and thoughts orally or in writing or by other means, unless prohibited by law in the interest of protecting the sovereignty of the Maldives, of maintaining public order and of protecting the basic tenets of Islam.

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Article 19

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through media regardless of frontiers.

And finally but not the least, although irrelevant to our cause;

The FIRST AMENDMENT to the U.S. Constitution

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Divehi Observer recognises the right to exercise the freedom of thought and expression as an important basic right of every human being. We feel that it is crucial to our existence that this right be respected in every field of life and defended wherever the circumstances arise. It is disappointing to note that those committed to defending this basic fundamental right have to work at the cost of humiliation, persecution and even, their own lives.

"The life which is unexamined is not worth living" Plato

The violation of this freedom in the Maldives is nothing new to any Maldivian. It exists socially and at political level. Political oppression forms the base in all other spheres, be it in the family or society at large. Our right to think and act on the guidance of our thinking is deprived from us. It is the very aspect that makes us human beings. The conceptual level of man’s conscious is disregarded. Government interferences and control are deadly cracks in the development of mankind.

In the absence of freedom of expression in the Maldives, which includes a free and independent media, Dhivehi Observer, as an independent news service, without censorship, will work to uphold the above mentioned fundamental rights enshrined in our own constitution and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human rights and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

We believe the above mentioned freedom is important and needed for the long term state security of our nation and our service is provided in public interest to protect public morals, public order and to keep the public informed. Our knowledge as a society will set us free of all forms of oppression.

After bringing you the news and developments of the Maldives for more than four months we have decided to update our services and operate as a professional and trustworthy news site where all issues of Maldives would be made available.

Our new site is more then just an updated look, our new site uses state of the art technology that allows us to keep you up to date on the latest news and developments.

Updated Navigation
Our updated navigation makes it easier to find what you are looking for.

Always Up-To-Date
Content on our website is now maintained with a database allowing us to keep the site up-to-date with all the latest news and events.

Contact Us Online
Our new About Us area displays our contact details at a glance in an easy-to-use list. Messages are automatically routed to the proper recipient for more efficient handling.

Send email to the editorial board

If you would like to contribute to our work, please contact us to arrange a setup. We need regular correspondence from the Maldives, especially from the remote islands. Let the world know about the issues and news in the Maldives and let us be part of the world community at large.

The Editorial Board,

Dhivehi Observer