Man arrested over tweets released from police custody

The young man arrested on Wednesday on allegations of inciting people to employ violent tactics in the protest against a proposed media control bill has been released from police custody.

Ali Anim Mufeed, 29, Athama Villa, S. Hithadhoo, was arrested by the police on Wednesday night. According to police, Anim was arrested on suspicion of inciting people protesting against the controversial media bill to commit violence using his account on the social media platform X.

He was presented before a court for his remand hearing on Thursday.

A police spokesperson said on Thursday afternoon that the court ordered his release. But the spokesperson did not provide any details.

The police previously said that Anim was being investigated over serious allegations, including violating the Counter-Terrorism Act, violating public order, and attempting to commit a crime.

Anim made a string of anti-government posts via his X account, in some of which he called on people to employ violent tactics to protest against the incumbent administration.

On Monday, Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan Aboobakr, an independent lawmaker aligned with the government, submitted a new bill that seeks to dissolve the Maldives Media Council (MMC) and the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (BroadCom), replacing them with a single regulatory body — the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission (MMBC).

According to the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Regulation Bill, the new seven-member commission will be composed of four members elected by the media and three appointed by the President with parliamentary approval, with the President also given the authority to appoint the commission’s head. It also empowers the MMBC to impose major penalties against media outlets as well as individual journalists, including during the investigative stage.

This includes:

• Fines of MVR 5,000 -25,000 against journalists for failure to comply with the commission’s instructions.
• Fines of up to MVR 100,000 against media outlets and magazines for legal violations.
• Temporary suspension of registrations during ongoing commission probes.
• Permanently revoking registrations through the courts.
• Blocking websites during ongoing probes.
• Ordering the cessation of broadcasting.

But while journalists' associations such as the MMC, the Maldives Journalists Association and even the International Journalists Assocuation protest against the new media bill as a threat to press freedom, it is backed by the government, which insists the legislature is designed to empower the press and protect press freedom.