Maldives: Ahead of the presidential elections, journalists face harassment while crackdown on protests persists

The state of civic space is rated as ‘obstructed’ by the CIVICUS Monitor. Ongoing concerns include reports of harassment and threats to journalists, the arbitrary arrest and excessive force against protesters, restrictions on protest and threats against human rights defenders, both offline and online, including women activists. The government has also failed to deal effectively with past crimes.

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held on 9th September 2023, the fourth since becoming a multiparty democracy in 2008. Incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and seven other candidates have registered to run. He is expected to face stiff competition after democracy campaigner and ex-President Mohamed Nasheed split off from the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). Nasheed’s new party, The Democrats, nominated the lawmaker Ilyas Labeeb as its candidate. The main opposition People’s National Congress has nominated Mohamed Muiz after its leader Abdullah Yameen, also a former president, was deemed ineligble to run by the Supreme Court because he is serving a jail sentence for corruption.

In recent months, Maldives’ press freedom rankings dropped, while a news outlet was investigated for playing songs critical of the President. Two journalists were assaulted while covering a protest. Protests have been met with excessive force by the police, while a legal NGO was threatened.

Expression

Press freedom remains in danger

In the latest press freedom index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published in May 2023, the country dropped 13 places to 100.

RSF noted that while the constitution of the Maldives protects freedom of the press and it has about 100 registered media outlets, journalists are often subjected to threats and intimidation by Wahhabi-influenced religious extremists and the issue of sexual harassment of women journalists is slowly emerging.

The constitutional safeguard is also undermined by the Evidence Act, which took effect in January 2023, and which allows the courts to compel journalists to reveal their confidential sources. Maldivian authorities have failed to live up to their promise to amend the controversial new law.

Further, as previously documented, in March 2023 the government proposed an amendment that would exclude freelance journalists and foreign correspondents from reporting on the elections. This was criticised by media workers including the Maldives Journalists’ Association (MJA).

In May 2023, it was reported that the Broadcasting Commission of Maldives had initiated an investigation against Channel 13 for allegedly telecasting songs that were ‘critical’ of President Solih. According to the letter from the Broadcasting Commission, the songs aired by Channel 13 not only contravened the standards of morality but also potentially undermined the dignity and reputation of individuals or groups.

Harassment and attacks on journalists

Journalists and media outlets are facing increased violence and harassment from the police. Instances of police assaulting and detaining journalists have been reported, while editors from a news outlet have received death threats allegedly linked to their reporting.

A Channel 13 media worker and Sangu News journalist were physically assaulted by Maldivian police while covering an opposition protest in Malé’s Republic Square on 20th July 2023.

In a video, a Maldives Police Service (MPS) officer can be seen forcibly grabbing Channel 13 cameraperson Misbah and pushing him away from a protest attended by leaders of the Maldivian opposition ‘Progressive Congress’ coalition held in Male’s Jumhooree Maidhaan, or Republic Square. The officer pushed Misbah into Sangu News journalist Maathu Hussain with the two media workers falling to the ground. Both were wearing press cards identifying themselves as members of the media.

According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), police Commissioner Mohammed Hameed announced that he had ordered the suspension of the offending police officer and that an investigation into the incident from the Special Operations Department was under way.

The press freedom groups said: “Journalists must be able to report without fear of obstruction, harassment or assault and these repeated incidents make clear the need for greater safety measures for media workers in the Maldives.”

Previously, in February 2023, two journalists, Hassan Shaheed and Ahmed Misbaah, were attacked by police officers while covering a protest held by the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives. In the same month, a team of journalists from Vaguthu media received death threats for an article they wrote two years ago on religious extremism.

In March 2023, the police assaulted and arrested Hussain Juman, a reporter for the privately-owned news website Avas, while he covered a rally by supporters of the opposition. In the same month, Hussain Fiyaz Moosa, chief editor of newspaper Adhadhu, received a death threat from an unidentified number hours after the paper published an article concerning religious extremists and gang activity.

Defence Ministry disables Twitter comments

In attempts to curtail freedom of expression, the Maldivian Defence Ministry and the Maldives National Defence Force undertook the measure of disabling comments on their official Twitter account in May 2023, amidst public discontent over the Indian military presence in the Maldives.

As previously documented, there has been an ‘India Out’ campaign led by the opposition, raising concerns around India’s military presence and political influence in the Maldives. In April 2022, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih issued a decree ordering a halt to the ‘India Out’ campaign. The president, in his decree titled ‘Stopping Planned Activities to Incite Hatred Towards Specific Countries Under Various Slogans’, said the National Security Council had decided the campaign posed a threat to national security.

Peaceful Assembly

Over the last few years, there have been ongoing concerns around restrictions and excessive force by the police, especially against activities carried out by the political opposition. Arbitrary arrests have also been documented. Journalists covering the protests have also been targeted. There has also been a failure to intorduce promised reforms to the Freedom of Assembly Act.

Crackdown on protests

On 14th May 2023, a peaceful protester who was demanding the removal of the Indian military presence in the Maldives was forcefully detained by the police. A video showed the police twisting the protester's arm during the arrest.

The People’s National Congress (PNC) parliamentary group leader and former Minister of Defence Adam Shareef was arrested on 14th June 2023 at an opposition protest. The opposition alleged that the police deployed pepper spray and forcibly entered the rally without warning, resulting in the assault and forceful arrest of protesters.

On 20th June 2023, the police were accused of excessive force around protests by the political opposition rallying against government corruption and mismanagement. Several people claimed that the police resorted to pepper spraying senior citizens, protesters, and even an opposition member of the parliament at close range, resulting in injuries, particularly affecting their eyes.

Transparency Maldives condemned the Maldives Police Service's violent measures against peaceful protesters. The organisation criticised the police force's use of non-lethal weapons and brute force in protests by the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People's National Congress (PNC). It called upon the Human Rights Commission of Maldives and the National Integrity Commission to urgently investigate the police force's actions and apparent immunity.

On 8th August 2023, four protesters were arrested during President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih's campaign trip to the island of Madaveli. Upon arriving at the island, accompanied by a substantial police force and soldiers, President Solih was met with a group of protestors who openly challenged him on his unfulfilled campaign promises. The situation quickly escalated, leading to the arrest of four individuals involved in the demonstration.

Migrant workers arrested around protest on wages

In July 2023, some 39 Bangladeshi expatriate workers were detained in the Maldives during a protest demanding payment of due wages. The incident took place on Hulhumale Island. The protest was triggered as about 700 expatriate Bangladeshis, working in the factory of Island Expert Private Limited there, had not been paid for four to five months. Around 300 expatriates resigned from the company before the protest and around a hundred workers staged the demonstration. Maldives Police said that several police officers who went to the scene to control the situation were injured after the protesting workers hurled bricks at them, and that a few police vehicles were also vandalised.

Association

Threats to legal NGO

In July 2023, the Family Legal Clinic( FLC) said they had received threats of damage to their property and attacks on their legal staff.

The FLC is a pro bono legal service founded by a group of young and enthusiastic professionals. Originally launched in August 2014, their aim is to increase access to justice by easing people's access to a lawyer and to promote awareness on legal rights in the areas of family and domestic violence and the prevention of sexual harassment.

In a statement FLC said that there was “a lack of protective environment for civil society actors particularly those working on increase of access to justice” and called on the authorities “to take all necessary steps to protect those that are involved in this work”.

In response, NGOs urged the authorities to take immediate action to address the situation. Transparency Maldives said: “We are deeply concerned by the constant and increasing threats to the staff and property of Family Legal Clinic.” While Hope for Women, an NGO dedicated to gender equality, said: “NGOs/CSOs advocating for access to justice and speaking for the rights of the vulnerable in the society deserve security and respect.”

As previously documented, there have been ongoing threats against human rights defenders by religious extremist groups and the government has frequently failed to prosecute those responsible for the attacks. The Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN) was arbitrarily de-registered in 2019, after the government yielded to pressure from religious leaders and political opposition figures. Prior to this it became the target of a social media campaign because of a 2015 report the organisation had published on the rise in violent extremism.