User:Crtew/Yameen Rasheed (first draft)

Yameen Rasheed (ca. 1988 – April 23, 2017), a Maldivian journalist for the Daily Panic blog on Twitter in Malé, Maldives, connected to the human rights in the Maldives, was killed by multiple stab wounds.

Personal
Yameen Rasheed was born in 1988 in Feydhoo, Maldives. He lived in the Republic of Maldives, a nation with fewer than 400,000 people. Rasheed was described by friends as soft-spoken and friendly and was known for his sense of humor, wit and intelligence. On May 1, 2015 Mr. Rasheed was involved in an anti-government rally in the capital and was arrested. He was held in custody for 21 days. "He was socially conscious, civic minded...everything and more the youth of the nation should be"

Career
Yameen Rasheed was an IT professional at the Maldives Stock Exchange. In his spare time, Mr. Rasheed was a weekly blogger known for his satirical critiques on Twitter on his blog The Daily Panic. He critiqued the government and Islamic radicalism using satire. Focusing on social justice, corruption, and the downfalls of his government, his aim was to report the truth unfiltered, no matter how sickening. Mr. Rasheed said,"With The Daily Panic, I hope to cover and comment upon the news, satirize the frequently unsatirizable politics of Maldives." He coordinated a campaign, "Find Moyameeha" for journalist[Ahmed Rilwan a friend whom was abducted in 2014 and is still missing. For three years, Rasheed relentlessly questioned about the disappearance of Rilwan even as others dropped off. Rasheed posted an article "Two years without Rilwan: What grief looks like," recounting the time leading up to and the years after Rilwan went missing, reporting on police negligence and other facts involving Mr. Rilwan's disappearance.

Death
Yameen Rasheed was killed on April 23, 2017. He was found in the stairwell of his apartment building with 16 stab wounds- 14 on the chest, one neck and one on the head. At 3:15 am, he was rushed to Indira Ghandi Memorial Hospital where he died while receiving treatment. A burial ceremony was held later that day. The crime was not caught on camera because the CCTV had been turned around in Mr. Rasheed's building. Rasheed's death happened in a time of rising extremism in the Maldives. In respone to poor education, social problems, and gang crimes, the traditionally liberal Maldivian youth are being radicalized. After watching more than 1,800 hours of surveillance footage and analyzing over 40,000 head shots of people, the Maldivian police declared that they had found  Rasheed's killers. On June 19, 2017, the Maldives Police Service identified three of the Mr. Rasheed's murderers. These men were Thaif Ismail Rasheed, Ismail Haisham Rasheed and Ahmed Zihan Ismail. Later, Prosecutor General Aishath Bisham confirmed charges against a total of seven individuals linked to Mr. Rasheed's murder. In early January, 2018, the Criminal Court cancelled the murder trial. Mr. Rasheed's family filed a lawsuit against the Maldives Police Service for negligence in protecting him before his murder, but the charges were voided by the Civil Court after four hearings.

Context
During the time of Yameen Rasheed's death, the Maldives were facing a war on human rights infringement..."Rasheed’s murder is linked to free speech violations in Maldives, including other acts of violence against journalists, citizen journalists and bloggers". Mr. Rasheed's murder was related to the "country's political context...as well as its fragmented religious landscape". Mr. Rasheed was caught in the midst of a great fight being the "third media personality to be targeted in the Maldives in the past five years". Journalists in opposition of the governmental power "were being targeted by radicalised gangs in the Maldives". On August 10, 2017, police confirmed that religious extremists were responsible for Mr. Rasheed's murder. A press conference earlier that week revealed that "Yameen's killers did not have any formal Islamic education, but held extremist ideologies, deeming Mr. Rasheed sacrilegious."

Impact
During Mr. Yameen Rasheed's career as a journalist, he was unafraid of pointing out the flaws of his government. Often referring to himself as a "disobedient writer," Rasheed stressed the importance of social justice, drawing attention to incompetent and corrupted actions made by the Maldivian government. Coordinating a campaign to find Abdulla Rasheed, a fellow journalist and friend, Mr. Rasheed has been "hailed as a vocal human rights defender".(the New Minute)

Reactions
"For me, Yameen Rasheed embodied the true spirit of the Maldives". Mr. Yameen Rasheed's death caused for a great uproar from not only his peers, but was felt around the world. After news of Rasheed's death spokespeople from all across the world spoke out. The Association for Progressive Communications (APC), greatly condemned Mr. Rasheed's murder, considering it an "outrageous attack on freedom of expression". Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO, condemns Rasheed's murder saying, "Journalists need to be able to work without fear and contribute to informed democratic debate. I call on Maldivian authorities to ensure that the rule of law is respected and that those responsible for this killing are brought to justice". Former Maldivian president and opposition leader, Mohamed Nasheed, demanded international participation in the investigation the "treasured soul" that was Mr. Rasheed. Olof Blomqvist, a researcher for Amnesty International’s Maldives said, “This shocking killing of Yameen Rasheed not only shows contempt for human life, but it is also a direct attack on the human right to freedom of expression." (The New Minute). James Dauris, the UK ambassador to the Maldives, called Rasheed "a passionate champion of free speech and human rights." (The News Minute) Mr. Rasheed's death also "fueled anger towards the police because, although aware of the threats, they did not take the necessary steps to protect him," according to Zaheena Rasheed, a friend who edits the Maldives Independent news website. Benjamin Ismaïl, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk said, "We are shocked by the death of Yameen Rasheed, who embodied freedom of information, humanistic thought and democratic values in Maldives. We urge President Abdulla Yameen’s government to shed light on this appalling crime and to do everything possible to ensure that it does not go unpunished. Any restriction on the resources available to the investigation will be seen as tacit approval by government of the murder of one of its most outspoken critics". According to Ibrahim Muaz, a spokesman for Maldives President Abdulla Yameen,“Actions of the Government to avoid opportunity for unrest in the nation by keeping the youth from criminal acts and to build a peaceful society will continue".

Awards
In March 2017, Yameen Rasheed and partner, Mohammed Shuraih, were awarded in the Inaugural Health Access Challenge in London for their project "Blood Drive." The competition promoted mobile technology to increase medical access. The pair's project intended to help those with thalassemia. "One out of 120 children is born with the hereditary blood condition similar to sickle-cell disease. Sufferers need regular blood transfusions, but in the chaotic archipelago donors and blood banks are hard to come across. The idea behind Blood Drive is to "link islanders with a database of hospitals and donors, sending out notifications about blood drives and people in need".