A bitter row over controversial remarks made at an opposition protest escalated as First Lady Sajidha Mohamed decided to pursue legal action and President Dr Mohamed Muizzu was accused of threatening Adhadhu CEO Hussain Fiyaz Moosa.

In an unprecedented move, the president phoned the veteran editor "in a trembling fit of rage" on Friday night and repeatedly warned that he would "take the harshest action" against the news website.

Muizzu called Fiyaz “in a state of anger and frustration concerning remarks made by a political activist, referring to a member of the president’s family, at a rally organised by the Maldivian Democratic Party, despite Adhadhu having never reported on the remarks made at the said rally,” Adhadhu said on Saturday night, after lodging a complaint with the police.

A complaint was also made to the Maldives Journalists Association, which called the alleged intimidation from the head of state "extremely serious and alarming."

Earlier on Saturday, the first lady’s lawyer Aishath Azima Shukoor announced plans to file lawsuits against the activist Mariyam Zubair and the opposition MDP.

The first lady strongly condemned “false allegations” about the government banning vaping after her 16-year-old son Umair Mohamed Muizzu was caught smoking, according to a statement read out by her lawyer at a press conference.  

The false claims spread by the political opponents could adversely affect the teenager’s education and social development, the statement continued, expressing concern over the potential danger to his safety. 

The first lady said she had so far refrained from responding to “constant harassment and bullying” or criticism of the president’s policies or decisions.  

“Nonetheless, today because of the targeting of my children, especially my children under 18, the defamation of their name and dignity, and deprivation of the security entitled to them as children, I have decided to take steps in my capacity as their mother,” she said, decrying the “worsening” situation of exploiting children for political ends.

“I am taking these actions in my individual capacity as the children’s mother, not with the participation of the government,” she added. 

Azima Shukoor, the first lady’s lawyer, stressed the “endangerment” of the president’s children as a result of “hate speech” on social media. The case involves criminal offences but the first lady decided to seek civil remedies and defer prosecution to the authorities, she said. But pressed by reporters about the specific remarks that constituted a violation of children’s rights or an incitement to violence, Azima Shukoor said the “exact statements” would be revealed at court. 

Lawsuits will be filed against the activist Mariyam Zubair as well as the MDP and the main opposition party’s chairman, Azima said. The MDP must bear legal responsibility because the incident occurred at a rally organised by the party, the former attorney general contended.

MDP Chairman Fayyaz Ismail was to be sued over a tweet accusing the president of “bringing sudden policies, in relation to what wives and children do, without solving it within the home”. 

The remarks that ignited the dispute were made during the MDP’s nightly street protests last week. “Our youth were forced to roll cigarettes because this Sajidha’s son started vaping,” alleged Mariyam Zubair, known as ‘Mandhy,’ mother of opposition lawmaker Meekail Naseem, referring to many smokers switching to cheaper hand rolling tobacco after the vape ban and doubling of cigarette prices.  

A barrage of condemnatory statements from ministers, ruling party lawmakers and political appointees followed her remarks, with government supporters across social media echoing the indignation and amplifying the outrage.

On Thursday, the Human Rights Commission criticised the remarks as “harmful to a child's dignity" and the Elections Commission condemned "unverified claims" targeting children that impact their "dignity and mental health".

But Mandhy doubled down on the following night as the MDP condemned “political statements” made by the HRCM and EC to “protect the president’s interests.” 

The remarks did not target a child or demean his dignity, the party insisted. “We assure that no action contrary to the child rights protection law has been committed in any activity conducted by the MDP,” it added.