President Mohamed Muizzu ratified the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Regulation Act (No. 16/2025) on Thursday, bringing into force a law critics say could severely curtail press freedom.
The law, passed by parliament on Tuesday during an extraordinary session, replaces the Maldives Media Council and the Maldives Broadcasting Commission with a new Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission.
The President’s Office said the Act aims “to foster the growth of a free and independent media landscape in the Maldives while safeguarding the continued exercise of press freedom” and “to prevent the spread of false information, ensure the effective realisation of constitutional guarantees through fair and transparent mechanisms.”
It also promised “a framework that upholds both the rights and responsibilities of journalists and media professionals.” According to the statement, procedures for media registration will be “streamlined … thereby facilitating implementation and advancing press freedom in line with contemporary global standards.”
A dedicated regulatory authority is to oversee both print and broadcast media. Until it is formally established, an interim committee of five members, appointed by the Civil Service Commission, will perform its functions, according to the President’s Office.
Journalists, international rights groups and opposition parties have fiercely opposed the legislation. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Maldives Journalists Association (MJA) earlier urged Muizzu to reject it. “CPJ is deeply concerned that the Maldives Parliament has passed a bill that would undermine the work of independent journalists and place the media under government control,” the New York-based group said in a post on X on Wednesday.
The new commission will have the authority to suspend media registrations, block news websites, halt broadcasts, and fine outlets up to MVR 100,000 (USD 6,500).
The Maldives Journalists Association described the bill as a “draconian media control bill” and warned that it threatens to criminalise journalism. Opposition leader and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) chairperson Fayyaz Ismail called on citizens to protest, saying the law is “an insult to the memory of the thousands of activists who bled to secure freedom of expression and media for Maldivians.”
Government officials defended the law as necessary to boost accountability and combat misinformation. Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel said it would establish “clear standards and a code of conduct” and address “the challenges of misinformation, disinformation and coordinated manipulation of content.”
Despite those assurances, critics argue that the law’s provisions are vague and give excessive authority to an entity they say lacks sufficient independence.