Army bars media from parliament meetings

The army stopped reporters from covering parliamentary meetings on Monday, citing the state of emergency in the Maldives.

Soldiers blocked the entrance to the parliament building, saying there had been no written notification allowing journalists access.

Reporters had tried to attend three meetings – one about finance, the second about independent institutions and the third about national security.

Ruling party MPs told Mihaaru the media could only be barred if committee meetings were held behind closed doors.

“None of the meetings held today were closed,” Mihaaru quoted one of the unnamed lawmakers as saying.

The Finance Committee meeting was about appointing someone to audit the auditor general’s office for 2017.

The National Security committee discussed appointing a new ambassador to Japan. President Abdulla Yameen nominated Ibrahim Uwais. The position was previously held by Mohamed Hussain Shareef, who is the current ambassador to Sri Lanka.

The Independent Institutions committee was set to discuss the appointment of a National Integrity Commission member. While seven people have applied for the position, Ahmed Sulaiman, the previous head of the Elections Commission, has been nominated by Yameen.

Photo: Mihaaru