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Editor arrested for assaulting female employee in the Maldives
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called for a prompt and thorough investigation into an alleged assault in the Maldives following the arrest of a newspaper editor.
Adam Haleem, editor of Vnews online, was caught on CCTV entering a stair hall on Sunday, November 9. They vision is alleged to show him grabbing a female employee who fell on a flight of stairs before another employee intervened to stop the incident.
Haleem was arrested on the night of Tuesday, November 11 after the CCTV footage was widely circulated on social media and a court issued an arrest warrant. The Criminal Court in the Maldives remanded him in custody for five days on Thursday, November 13.
It is understood the assaulted employee sustained no serious injuries.
The publisher of Vnews, the Vmedia on Wednesday, November 12 announced the termination of Haleem’s employment in connection to the assault. The media ascertained that the assault was due to personal matters.
The IFJ Asia Pacific deputy director Jane Worthington said: “The IFJ and its affiliates main a strong zero tolerance stand on sexual assault. We commend the prompt action by both police and media in relation to this matter and call all media to respect the victim’s privacy as the matter is pursued.”