RaajjeTV has on Thursday appealed at the Prosecutor General’s office to review the arson attack on the station premises as well as to revoke the appeal case of journalist Mohamed Wisam’s acquittal.
RaajjeTV made the appeal to revoke Wisam’s appeal case on Thursday, along with the appeal to review the arson attack on the station. Acquitting the journalist, the Criminal Court had ruled that the chain of custody of video evidence submitted by prosecutors cannot be verified and that it contradicted the prosecution’s claims. Following this, appeals in the case had been made at the High Court.
At a meeting held with the Prosecutor General on Thursday morning, RaajjeTV made the appeal as Wisam was arrested on the 25th of March 2015 at a protest in the capital city Male’ under allegations of obstructing law enforcement officers, while he was carrying out his journalistic duties. As such, the station believes that the appeal was made in clear obstruction to journalism, as the charges against Wisam were not proven at the lower court.
Presiding Judge Ahmed Shakeel had ruled that the presence of journalists at the scene will not be deemed as an obstruction to police duties.
Wisam was acquitted in March 2017 after being charged with obstruction of a law enforcement officer in April 2016, after he was arrested while covering an opposition rally in March 2015.
Hearings in the appeal case are set to begin on the 27th of November.
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