Mal\u00e9 \u2014 The Maldives Parliament has passed the contentious Media Bill with a strong majority vote of 60 in favor and only 1 against, amid continuing protests outside the Parliament House since early morning.<\/p>\n
Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim, presiding over today\u2019s sitting, refuted allegations that the bill’s legislative process violated parliamentary rules. He asserted that all procedures were duly followed. Parliamentary Group Leader of the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) Ibrahim Falah defended the bill, stating that journalists’ concerns were considered during committee deliberations. He further cited Parliament\u2019s Counsel General Filza, confirming that the bill complies fully with the Constitution and existing laws.<\/p>\n
However, opposition voices were sharply critical. Kan\u2019ditheemu MP Ameen Faisal pointed out that MPs received the committee report only around 5:15 pm, leaving less than fifteen minutes to study the bill before debate. Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs protested vocally on the floor, leading Deputy Speaker Nazim to remove several MPs including Ibrahim Nazil, Meekail Ahmed Naseem, Mohamed Niushad, and others.<\/p>\n
Outside, protests by journalists and citizens continued throughout the day but faced police obstruction, with some demonstrators arrested or injured in clashes.<\/p>\n
The bill establishes a powerful Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission with extensive oversight over media operations, including the authority to fine journalists and media outlets, suspend licenses, block websites, and even halt broadcasts during investigations. Critics warn the bill\u2019s vague definitions of terms like “fake news” and “threat to national unity” grant the commission sweeping powers that threaten press freedom and independent journalism in the Maldives.<\/p>\n
More than twenty local and international organizations, including the Maldives Journalists Association and international press freedom groups, have urged Parliament to reject the bill. They warn it would severely curtail freedom of expression and undermine the country\u2019s democratic progress.<\/p>\n
The passage of this bill marks a pivotal and divisive moment in Maldives media regulation, with implications for the relationship between the press, government, and civil society.<\/p>\n
This report draws on details from parliamentary proceedings, opposition statements, and ongoing street protests. Further coverage will follow as the new law takes effect and its impacts unfold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mal\u00e9 \u2014 The Maldives Parliament has passed the contentious Media Bill with a strong majority vote of 60 in favor and only 1 against, amid continuing protests outside the Parliament House since early morning. Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim, presiding over today\u2019s sitting, refuted allegations that the bill’s legislative process violated parliamentary rules. He asserted that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":66561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/raajje24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66560"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/raajje24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/raajje24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raajje24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raajje24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66560"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/raajje24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66562,"href":"https:\/\/raajje24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66560\/revisions\/66562"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raajje24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/raajje24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raajje24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/raajje24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}