Adhadhu CEO Hussain Fiyaz Moosa appealed a Criminal Court gag order prohibiting discussion of a documentary about President Muizzu's alleged affair with a staffer. Fiyaz filed the case after High Court rejected the Maldives Journalists Association's earlier appeal on the grounds that the group lacked standing as it was not a party to the case. The gag order was obtained by the Prosecutor General's Office after pressing gazf charges against Fiyaz and managing editor Hassan Mohamed. Last week, the Criminal Court jailed two Adhadhu journalists being jailed for contempt over alleged violations of the gag order.
Adhadhu journalist Leevaan Ali Naseer was moved from the cell he shared with colleague Mohamed Shahzan to a solitary cell in Unit 10, the section housing inmates convicted in murder cases at Maafushi Prison, his lawyer said. According to Adhadhu, his pre-existing skin condition has worsened due to unsanitary conditions and pest infestations in the new unit, and he has been denied access to the specialised medicinal lotions he requires. He is sleeping on the floor. His lawyer said prison authorities have also blocked the use of funds sent by the journalists' families to purchase essential items, and that clothing sent by the families on Friday had not been delivered to either Leevan or Shahzan. Both journalists "remain steadfast in their resolve," the lawyer told Adhadhu. The Maldives Correctional Service disputed the claims.
Newly elected local council members and Women's Development Committee members were sworn in across the Maldives, marking the end of the previous councils' five-year terms. In Malé, Mayor Adam Azim, who was re-elected for a second term, and 17 newly elected councillors took their oaths before High Court Justice Hussein Shaneez Abdullah. Across the country, a total of 1,362 members were elected – 681 councillors and 681 WDC members – with PNC winning 584 seats in total and MDP winning 563.
Abolished atoll councils will be replaced by Local Government Authority offices in each atoll. The President's Office instructed LGA to establish the offices following the expiry of the current atoll councillors' terms. In a letter to the LGA, the president also instructed the employment of staff at the abolished atoll councils to be regulated under the Decentralisation Act without any loss of jobs, salaries or benefits, in consultation with relevant agencies. Former Local Government Minister Adam Shareef Umar previously said the LGA offices would handle service delivery after the atoll councils' dissolution, with the freed-up block grant funds redistributed among remaining councils.
Central Henveiru constituency MDP councillor Meekail Mohamed Riyaz was elected deputy mayor of Malé, running unopposed after winning an internal MDP primary. The ruling PNC's two council members did not put forward a candidate for the position.
Three former presidents, Mohamed Nasheed, Abdulla Yameen, and Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, appointed representatives to lead their joint opposition alliance against President Muizzu's government. Nasheed named former deputy speaker Eva Abdulla and former MDP chairman Fayyaz Ismail; Yameen appointed PNF vice president Mohamed Maleeh Jamal and Ismail Zariyand; and Solih named former MPs Ahmed Saleem and Mohamed Rasheed Hussein. The three leaders signed a cooperation agreement on Friday, pledging to work together to restore press freedom and civil liberties.
The Criminal Court remanded protesters Mohamed Shamin and Ali Musharraf for a further 15 days on Sunday, MDP lawyers said. The pair, both of whom are regular figures at the front of the recent press freedom protests, had been re-arrested overnight on Thursday on allegations of assaulting police officers after initially being released. Judge Ali Adam ordered the remand without fully hearing defence counsel and granted exactly what police requested, an MDP lawyer said. The court had not established why detention was necessary or whether the two posed a flight risk or threat to public order, he added.
The Privatisation and Corporatisation Board removed Shamhooza Ahmed as chairperson and board member of MWSC without providing a reason. Shamhooza was appointed to the role in December 2023.
Maldivian launched its first direct flight to Melbourne. The national carrier used its A330 aircraft to operate "the first-ever direct flight between Australia and the Maldives." The launch opens a new market for Maldivian tourism, which has historically drawn relatively few Australian visitors compared with European and Asian source markets.
