Maldives president ratifies contentious media bill amid global outcry

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Thursday ratified a media bill that seeks to replace the existing self-regulatory system with a government-controlled commission, despite appeals from both local and international organizations urging him against enacting the contentious legislature into law over its potential implications for press freedom and free speech in the Maldives.

On August 18, Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan Aboobakr, an independent lawmaker aligned with the government, submitted a bill that seeks to dissolve the Maldives Media Council (MMC) and the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (BroadCom), replacing them with a single regulatory body — a seven-member Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission (MMBC).

The bill, widely panned both local and international journalism groups for its vague and ambiguous terminology, is openly backed by the People’s National Congress (PNC) administration.

The Parliament worked through recess on the bill, and the PNC used its supermajority to ensure its passage with a majority vote of 60-1 in an extraordinary sitting on Tuesday, amid protests both within and outside the Parliament – the former of which led to several parliamentarians from the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) getting forcibly removed from the chambers.

The bill was ratified by President Muizzu on Thursday morning.

To be updated…