Prominent Maldivian journalist and blogger Ismail 'Hilath' Rasheed is in a critical condition in hospital after being stabbed in the neck.
A hospital source was quoted as saying that Rasheed's throat was slit and that he survived only because a vital artery was missed "by millimetres."
The Paris-based press watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, said it looked like a targeted attack and that Rasheed "has repeatedly been censored, arrested and threatened."
Rasheed's blog was blocked by the Maldives communications authority on the order of the ministry of Islamic affairs in November last year on the grounds that it contained "anti-Islamic" material.
A month later, Rasheed required hospital treatment after he and a group demonstrating in support of religious tolerance were stoned. He was also arrested for taking part in the demonstration and held for three weeks in jail.
Sources: RSF/Minivan News
