The ruling People's National Congress (PNC)'s supermajority in parliament passed the media bill on Tuesday, a move former Home Minister Umar Naseer contends is designed to stifle allegations of corruption against the government.
Umar, who served as the first Home Minister under former President Abdullah Yameen, stated that the media bill's true objective is to suppress claims of government corruption, not to prevent defamation.
He emphasized that existing laws already provide recourse for protecting reputation, citing instances of defamation lawsuits. As an example, he pointed to the lawsuit filed by Sajida Mohamed, wife of Mohamed Muizzu.
Sajidha's appeal arose during a series of protests organized by the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) last March. These protests followed remarks by senior MDP activist Maryam Zubair, who alleged that vaping was banned in the Maldives because the president's son had started vaping.
The Civil Court subsequently ruled that Maryam Zubair had violated the child’s dignity.
Umar announced that, should he come to power, he would amend the media bill in consultation with experienced journalists. He also outlined several proposed amendments to the bill.
Journalists hold the Maldives national flag as they protest against the passage of a contentious media bill on September 16, 2025. (Sun Photo/Ahmed Firyal)
He asserted that exposing corruption within the state is not a crime. He further proposed an amendment requiring a person whose dignity or reputation is allegedly damaged by an article to be given 24 hours to respond after its publication.
"The response, within 24 hours, will be posted free of charge on or inside the page of the newspaper that wrote the article. In the case of electronic media, the link to the response will be included in the middle of the article. And if it's printed news, the response will be published free of cost on the next issue of printed news,” Umar explained.
He also stated his intention to introduce a requirement for journalists to take an oath to disclose truthful information to the best of their knowledge and proposed a reduction in the fines stipulated in the bill.
Umar concluded that, regardless of the circumstances, it is always best for the government to consult with relevant stakeholders when amending laws, rather than acting in opposition to them.
The 20th Parliament, with its clear PNC majority, passed the media bill, introduced by pro-government Thulhaadhoo Independent MP Abdul Hannan Abubakr, on Tuesday during an extraordinary parliamentary session. This occurred amidst significant opposition from a large number of journalists.
MDP members initiated protests as the session began to pass the bill, leading to the removal of several party members from Parliament. Following this, the PNC's supermajority parliament proceeded to pass the media bill as it had been approved by the committee.
Sixty members voted in favor of the bill, with only Velidhoo MP Mohamed Abbas casting a dissenting vote.
A petition, signed by 151 journalists, was rejected by the parliamentary committee, which asserted that the concerns had been addressed through amendments made to the bill by the committee. Furthermore, PNC members and the government have been promoting the bill as a 'reputation protection' bill.
Key amendments to the bill:
Removal of the provision that empowered the commission to shut down media stations during ongoing investigations.
Amending the provision that allowed for the commission’s president to be directly elected by the Maldivian President, to have the commission’s president elected through a vote among commission members.
Detailed explanation of electronic media that leaves out social media from commission scrutiny.
Detailed explanation of the provision that requires news outlets and magazines to inform the commission prior to publication.
Stipulating that the commission cannot take any action that violates the freedom of expression and freedom of the press enshrined in the Constitution.
Stipulating that the commission must allow media outlets and individual journalists the chance to provide a written response to allegations before they are sanctioned.
Facilitating the chance for affected parties to revise or demand answers in response to false information published in news articles.
Despite these amendments, journalists continue to express concern over the sweeping legislation, urging President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu against ratifying the bill.
While members have shared some of the amendments made by the committee, the complete bill has not yet been officially published.