Maldives jails two journalists for reporting on president’s alleged affair

Two journalists have been jailed in the Maldives after a court found them guilty of violating a gag order linked to reporting on allegations involving President Mohamed Muizzu, according to rights groups and court proceedings in the Maldivian capital, Male.

Two journalists have been jailed in the Maldives after a court found them guilty of violating a gag order linked to reporting on allegations involving President Mohamed Muizzu, according to rights groups and court proceedings in the Maldivian capital, Male, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.

Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Nasir, who work for the news website Adhadhu, were sentenced on Tuesday by the criminal court. Shahzan received 15 days in jail, while Nasir was sentenced to 10 days.

Press freedom organisations, including the International Federation of Journalists and the Committee to Protect Journalists, condemned the decision. The IFJ said it “strongly condemned” the jailing, while the CPJ described the sentences as a “punitive attempt to criminalise investigative journalism” and called for their release.

Muizzu’s spokesperson, Mohamed Hussain Shareef, rejected the criticism, saying the legal proceedings were not an attack on press freedom and were “unwarranted and politically motivated” claims.

The case is linked to a documentary titled Aisha, published on Adhadhu’s social media accounts on March 28. The documentary included an anonymised interview with a woman who alleged she had a sexual relationship with President Muizzu, a married father of three.

The court had issued a gag order banning public discussion of the allegations, which authorities say the journalists breached through their reporting.

The case has intensified debate over media freedom in the Maldives, with rights groups arguing that the convictions represent a growing restriction on investigative journalism.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova