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Maldives Independent

Year in Review

2025

The year Maldives Independent returned

Our stories throughout the year

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Jan/Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

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Featured

Featured

Stress test: 2025 Year in Review

From youth-led protests to a Supreme Court purge, from an unresolved housing crisis to a looming debt crunch, political and economic pressures converged in 2025 to test the Maldives' angsty teenaged democracy.

February

Maldives navigates shifting monsoons and weather extremes

Maldives navigates shifting monsoons and weather extremes

February 11

Mezzo Mohamed: The voice of a generation who turned silence into song

Mezzo Mohamed: The voice of a generation who turned silence into song

Feb 14

"No stock": Maldives grapples with severe medicine shortage

"No stock": Maldives grapples with severe medicine shortage

Feb 20

High cost barrier and vote buying dominate Maldives elections

High cost barrier and vote buying dominate Maldives elections

February 24

Whistleblower Unit slaps Maldives Post with landmark first fine

Whistleblower Unit slaps Maldives Post with landmark first fine

February 25

March

The Nazaha precedent: battered woman's conviction stands but changes legal history

The Nazaha precedent: battered woman's conviction stands but changes legal history

March 3

Breaking the silence: a Maldivian survivor's story of female genital mutilation

Breaking the silence: a Maldivian survivor's story of female genital mutilation

Mar 8

The coconut crisis: how the Maldives went from abundance to scarcity

The coconut crisis: how the Maldives went from abundance to scarcity

Mar 12

“No one came illegally”: migrant extortion scandal exposes systemic failures

Migrant workers

“No one came illegally”: migrant extortion scandal exposes systemic failures

March 26

An irresponsible “solution”: Malé City Council’s obsession with uprooting trees

An irresponsible “solution”: Malé City Council’s obsession with uprooting trees

March 27

April

Movanu Shafeeq brings raw truth to Maldivian screens

Arts and culture

Movanu Shafeeq brings raw truth to Maldivian screens

April 5

Thrice betrayed: a rape survivor's fight against institutional indifference

Thrice betrayed: a rape survivor's fight against institutional indifference

Apr 9

Alleged cover-up around woman's ninth storey fall sparks protests, sacking of govt comms staff

Alleged cover-up around woman's ninth storey fall sparks protests, sacking of govt comms staff

Apr 24

"If she was left to die on a roof, they’ll do the same to me”

"If she was left to die on a roof, they’ll do the same to me”

April 29

Court remands fall case suspect Raudh for 10 days

Court remands fall case suspect Raudh for 10 days

April 30

May

Dhuleh Nukuraanan youth protests: night seven in photos

Dhuleh Nukuraanan youth protests: night seven in photos

May 1

Organisers arrested as police crack down on youth-led protest

Organisers arrested as police crack down on youth-led protest

May 2

Muizzu fields questions during epic 15-hour press conference, after 500 days of silence

Muizzu fields questions during epic 15-hour press conference, after 500 days of silence

May 4

Yumn did not jump on her own, family says, after fall victim wakes

Yumn did not jump on her own, family says, after fall victim wakes

May 8

Discover Fulhadhoo: serenity on the edge of Baa Atoll

Discover Fulhadhoo: serenity on the edge of Baa Atoll

May 24

June

The coral whisperer: Hassan Ahmed's mission to train a new generation of reef builders

The coral whisperer: Hassan Ahmed's mission to train a new generation of reef builders

June 3

Maldives data crisis: citizens' personal information sold for US$ 9,700

Maldives data crisis: citizens' personal information sold for US$ 9,700

Jun 8

Minicoy islanders battle to preserve ancestral Maldivian language

Minicoy islanders battle to preserve ancestral Maldivian language

Jun 9

From bell-bottoms to Instagram: the evolution of Maldivian fashion from the 1970s

From bell-bottoms to Instagram: the evolution of Maldivian fashion from the 1970s

June 28

No bodies, no blood, no answers: what happened to Malé's missing cats?

No bodies, no blood, no answers: what happened to Malé's missing cats?

June 30

July

Replacing coconuts with dates: the erosion of Maldivian identity

Replacing coconuts with dates: the erosion of Maldivian identity

July 9

Planning life around pain: the silent suffering of Maldivian women battling endometriosis

Planning life around pain: the silent suffering of Maldivian women battling endometriosis

Jul 16

Why the Maldives hit Chinese shopping sites with a 30 percent fee

Why the Maldives hit Chinese shopping sites with a 30 percent fee

Jul 17

"The worst-run football association in the world"

"The worst-run football association in the world"

July 20

Maldives bucks global trend as seagrass meadows triple in size

Maldives bucks global trend as seagrass meadows triple in size

July 21

August

Maldives parliament decries "misuse" of own data to brand MPs "lazy and inactive"

August 6

Symbolic beginnings: Pest on rebellion, rhythm and responsibility

Arts and culture

Symbolic beginnings: Pest on rebellion, rhythm and responsibility

Aug 16

"Take your project and leave": Kudafari's rare victory over central planning

"Take your project and leave": Kudafari's rare victory over central planning

Aug 19

From Naruto to maali neshun: The rise of cosplay in the Maldives

Arts and culture

From Naruto to maali neshun: The rise of cosplay in the Maldives

August 23

Beyond the 1,000 Rufiyaa note: the fight to protect Maldives' whale sharks

Beyond the 1,000 Rufiyaa note: the fight to protect Maldives' whale sharks

August 30

September

Come November, Maldivian waters will no longer be a shark sanctuary

Come November, Maldivian waters will no longer be a shark sanctuary

September 2

"We fall down, but we get back up": Maldivian girls rewrite surfing's gender rules

"We fall down, but we get back up": Maldivian girls rewrite surfing's gender rules

Sep 8

The woman turning shark teeth into art – and saving a dying tradition

Arts and culture

The woman turning shark teeth into art – and saving a dying tradition

Sep 13

"Final day for press freedom": media bill passes amid arrests and expulsions

"Final day for press freedom": media bill passes amid arrests and expulsions

September 16

Between myth and memory: Eagan Badeeu’s ‘Liminal’ at Gallery 350

Arts and culture

Between myth and memory: Eagan Badeeu’s ‘Liminal’ at Gallery 350

September 20

October

Photos from the frontline: pepper spray and sonic weapons in Majeedhee Magu standoff

Photos from the frontline: pepper spray and sonic weapons in Majeedhee Magu standoff

October 4

Most of Maldives' reclaimed land sits unused – yet new projects continue

Most of Maldives' reclaimed land sits unused – yet new projects continue

Oct 9

Episode 12: Shiman's lawyer recounts procedural chaos after private photo leak

Episode 12: Shiman's lawyer recounts procedural chaos after private photo leak

Oct 13

Fishermen say Muizzu "misspoke" as gulper shark pledge faces global opposition

Fishermen say Muizzu "misspoke" as gulper shark pledge faces global opposition

October 14

Halt the gulper shark fishery: an open letter to President Muizzu

Halt the gulper shark fishery: an open letter to President Muizzu

October 26

November

When "protected" means nothing: the state of Maldives' environmental safeguards

When "protected" means nothing: the state of Maldives' environmental safeguards

November 4

Environment minister bypassed safeguards to approve Addu wetlands reclamation

Environment minister bypassed safeguards to approve Addu wetlands reclamation

Nov 11

Fuvahmulah left without water after years of inaction on known leaks

Fuvahmulah left without water after years of inaction on known leaks

Nov 12

“Have you seen the madness?": the 2026 budget and MVR 2.7 billion project giveaway

“Have you seen the madness?": the 2026 budget and MVR 2.7 billion project giveaway

November 13

"I realised I could not return home for a very long time": Shahindha Ismail on six years in exile

"I realised I could not return home for a very long time": Shahindha Ismail on six years in exile

November 25

Milestone

Maldives Independent Membership Launched

December

Banyans and saplings: 100 years old, replaced by inches tall

Banyans and saplings: 100 years old, replaced by inches tall

December 10

One in six Maldivian teenagers has considered suicide. They're turning to AI for help.

One in six Maldivian teenagers has considered suicide. They're turning to AI for help.

Dec 15

The wounds that follow you home: Ganaa turns the lens on bullying in the Maldives

Arts and culture

The wounds that follow you home: Ganaa turns the lens on bullying in the Maldives

Dec 20

The class monitor president

The class monitor president

December 21

The Maldives didn't "decide" to fish sustainably. It always has.

The Maldives didn't "decide" to fish sustainably. It always has.

December 23

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