Politics
Maldives MPs vote to restrict free speech
Some 47 MPs approved today a bill that imposes severe restrictions on free speech and press freedom.
09 Aug 2016, 09:00
Fear contributes to low turnout at MUO rallies
A severe and wide-ranging police crackdown is contributing to low turnout at opposition rallies. Some hope the ongoing split in the ruling party will help supporters break free from fear.
08 Aug 2016, 09:00
President overhauls the employment tribunal
Yameen has overhauled the seven-member employment tribunal, appointing four new members to the panel in the last month alone.
08 Aug 2016, 09:00
Family of disappeared journalist unveil song to mark second anniversary
Unveiling the song, Rilwan’s sister Mariyam Shehenaz said: “I wrote the words to an old Hindi song, one that we used to listen together, our heads together, the ear phones shared between our ears.”
08 Aug 2016, 09:00
Gayoom seeks to stay court battle for control of PPM
Gayoom has asked the civil court to halt a lawsuit over control of PPM, filed by MPs loyal to Yameen, until September when he returns from a private trip abroad.
07 Aug 2016, 09:00
Minority leader questioned over Nasheed’s house arrest
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the parliamentary group leader of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, was questioned about a disputed document provided to former President Nasheed by the Maldives Correctional Services confirming his transfer to house arrest for the remainder of his 13-year jail sentence.
05 Aug 2016, 09:00
Deported for ‘practising journalism’
Elwira Szczecian, the Polish photo journalist deported from the Maldives in late July for taking pictures at an opposition rally, recounts her ordeal
05 Aug 2016, 09:00
Parliament considers five-year terms for local councils
MP Ahmed Amir of the government-aligned Maldives Development Alliance proposed amending the constitution to increase the term of local councils from three to five years.
04 Aug 2016, 09:00
Second MP’s phone confiscated over tweet
The police summoned main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party MP Ali Nizar for questioning over a tweet last night and confiscated his phone.
03 Aug 2016, 09:00
Maldives ‘rejects’ international criticism of defamation bill
The defamation bill “does not seek to criminalise free speech,” the government insists, claiming that it would “provide a layer of protection for those who may fall victim to scurrilous and defamatory articles and to ensure that such comment does not impact upon issues of religious sentiment or national security.”
02 Aug 2016, 09:00
Riot police switch off microphones at MUO rally
Riot police officers tried to halt an opposition rally Monday night after forcibly entering the Maldivian Democratic Party’s haruge (meeting hall) in Malé without a court order.
02 Aug 2016, 09:00
Yameen appoints new home minister
Yameen has replaced Home Minister Ahmed Zuhoor with Azleen Ahmed, a junior minister at the education ministry. The reason for the sudden change remain unclear.
01 Aug 2016, 09:00
MP under investigation for ‘hateful’ tweet
The Jumhooree Party MP said the police did not directly accuse him of a specific crime, “but it was quiet clear from their questioning and also from the comments they made that I have been accused of obstruction of police duties and of inciting hatred and violence.”
01 Aug 2016, 09:00
Majlis proceeds with criminalising defamation
The ruling party-dominated parliament voted today to accept a bill on criminalising defamation and restricting free speech, disregarding forceful international criticism and a free speech campaign by local journalists.
01 Aug 2016, 09:00
Commonwealth envoy arrives in Maldives
Kenya’s former chief justice flew into the Maldives Sunday for his first visit as a special envoy of the Commonwealth amid an intensifying government crackdown on dissent.
01 Aug 2016, 09:00
Defamation bill draws international criticism
The revised defamation bill is a “serious setback for freedom of speech in the Maldives,” said the US, UK, EU, Germany, Norway and the Netherlands in a strongly worded joint statement.
01 Aug 2016, 09:00
MUO leaders’ phones confiscated, questioned over detainee fund
“The police questioned us regarding the detainee fund. Apparently, they are of the view that the fund is an obstruction to the proper functioning of the state and implementation of the rule of law,” Latheef, shadow minister for civil rights, told reporters yesterday.
31 Jul 2016, 09:00
Defamation bill on Majlis agenda as free speech campaign gains momentum
A group of journalists launched a campaign last week to raise awareness about the dangers posed by the proposed law, warning that it would spell the end of a free press as well as freedom of expression in the Maldives.
31 Jul 2016, 09:00
Social media activist arrested for ‘inciting hatred’
Shammoon Jaleel was arrested with a court warrant on suspicion of fomenting unrest and inciting hatred among the public towards the security forces. The criminal court also authorised the police to confiscate his phone to extract all his conversations, text messages, and other interactions.
30 Jul 2016, 09:00
Police crack down on opposition prayer, tea party
Riot police cracked down on the opposition’s weekly prayer gathering and a tea party Friday afternoon using pepper spray and force. The father of jailed MP Ahmed Mahloof was among seven men arrested outside the Islamic centre.
30 Jul 2016, 09:00
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