Parliament on Tuesday passed the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Bill, a piece of legislation critics say hands sweeping powers to President Mohamed Muizzu and poses a grave threat to press freedom.
The bill was passed with 60 members voting in favour and one against, with no abstentions, during a heated extraordinary sitting in which opposition lawmakers protested inside the chamber, while journalists and members of the public demonstrated outside the Parliament compound in Malé.
Police forcibly dispersed protesters, with several journalists reporting they were assaulted and at least two detained, according to local media.
Under the legislation, the Maldives Media Council and Maldives Broadcasting Commission will be dissolved and replaced with a new Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission. Of its seven members, three — including the chair — will be appointed by the president, while the other four will be selected by media outlets.
The commission will have the authority to suspend media registrations, block news websites, halt broadcasts, and impose fines as high as MVR 100,000 (USD 6,400).
Local and international media associations, rights groups, and opposition parties have strongly criticised the bill, warning it undermines free expression and allows the executive to exert unprecedented control over independent media.
The Maldives Journalists Association (MJA) described it as a “grave threat” that could criminalise journalism. President Muizzu and his ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) MPs defend the bill as necessary to strengthen accountability and combat misinformation.