Maldives: Journalists arrested, media outlet raided and protests met with arrests and excessive force

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

On 4th April 2026, the Maldives held three concurrent electoral events: the local council elections, Women's Development Committee elections, and a Constitutional Referendum on the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. The referendum was to allow presidential and parliamentary elections to be held simultaneously and establish a fixed start date for parliamentary terms. The results delivered a strong victory for the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which swept all five mayoral seats across the country, with incumbent opposition mayors successfully retaining their positions. The government also lost the constitutional referendum.

In March 2026, the UN Human Rights Council adopted the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report for Maldives that was held in November 2025. Maldives received 21 recommendations on civic space and supported 19 of them including to ensure that human rights defenders, journalists and civil society have a safe and enabling environment and can operate freely, without fear of reprisals. The government also committed to protect human rights defenders against threats, smear campaigns and attempts at criminalisation, guarantee freedom of expression and ensuring the public release of the report of the Presidential Commission on Deaths and Disappearances.

In the same month, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN) delivered a statement to the Human Rights Council stating that members of independent civil society do not feel safe in the Maldives, as the exodus of some prominent human rights defenders from the country and the attacks – at times fatal – against others have demonstrated in recent years.

In recent months, police raided Adhadhu news outlet and impose travel bans on its editors. It also jailed two journalists for reporting on the president’s alleged affair. There have been arrests and disruption of opposition protests as well as excessive force by the police. Activist Yameen Rasheed’s murder remains unresolved after nine years.

Expression

Police raid Adhadhu news and impose travel bans on editors

On 27th April 2026, police officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Department raided Adhadhu’s office in Malé, seizing journalists’ laptops and hard drives. The search warrant cited Section 612(a) of the Penal Code, referring to the offence of “qazf” – the false accusation of adultery under Islamic law – as grounds to search for evidence related to the “Aisha” documentary.

The documentary – released on 28th March, featured allegations by a former employee of the President’s Office who alleged that Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu had abused his power to sexually manipulate and harass her.

The raid took place on the same day that an Adhadhu journalist publicly questioned President Mohamed Muizzu about those allegations during a televised press conference. Authorities subsequently imposed travel bans on Adhadhu CEO Hussain Fiyaz Moosa and Managing Editor Hassan Mohamed and their passports were confiscated. Police also summoned senior staff for questioning.

The journalists have since been hit with a three-month travel ban imposed by the Maldivian Criminal Court. According to the warrant for the travel ban, Fiyaz was placed on a no-fly list after police intelligence alleged Fiyaz was planning to flee the country.

Fiyaz and another journalist, Mohamed Shahzaan, had previously received death threats after the release of the documentary.

On 10th May, the Criminal Court formally filed charges of “qazf” against Fiyaz Moosa and Hassan Mohamed. They face a maximum sentence of 80 lashes and one year, seven months and six days in prison. The court also issued a gag order prohibiting any mention of the accusations against the president, as well as the legal proceedings related to the case.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Maldives Journalists Association (MJA), strongly condemned the government’s overreach in launching the raid and its attempt to criminalise journalists reporting in the public interest.

On 13th July 2026, the High Court ruled that the Criminal Court’s gag order on content published by Adhadhu news was issued without reference to any provision of the Criminal Procedure Act. High Court Chief Justice Abdullah Jameel Moosa delivered the opinion while reviewing the court’s earlier dismissal of an appeal filed by the Maldives Journalists Association (MJA) seeking to overturn the gag order. The High Court Registrar had initially rejected the appeal, stating that MJA did not have standing to challenge the order.

This is not the first time Adhadhu has faced prosecution for its political commentary. As previously documented, in January 2026, the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission issued the first known takedown order under the new Maldives Media and Broadcasting law, requiring Adhadhu to remove a political cartoon which satirised the prevalence of theft and bribery in Maldivian society and included a likeness of Maldivian president, Mohamed Muizzu.

Government jails two journalists for reporting on president’s alleged affair

Two journalists from digital news outlet Adhadhu were sentenced to prison on 12th May 2026 following a series of secret contempt of court hearings.

According to IFJ, the Maldivian Criminal Court sentenced Adhadhu journalists Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Naseer to 15 and 10 days in prison respectively for ‘violation’ of a gag order imposed on 10th May in connection with the outlet’s ‘Aisha’ documentary (see section above). The men were also ordered to pay fines of approximately Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR) 26,000 (USD 1,700) for contempt of court.

On 11th May, Shahzan, who is Vice President of the Maldives Journalists Association (MJA), was detained for questioning about the allegations made during a live media briefing, from which he was forcibly expelled on the President's orders, while Leevan was sentenced for reporting on the existence of the gag order itself, with a court directive accusing him of breaching restrictions by publicising judicial orders.

The contempt hearings were held behind closed doors to “uphold public morals”, forbidding the prosecution and defendants from revealing details of the trial publicly. The three-judge panel only permitted the journalists a two-hour window to appoint legal counsel and rushed to conclude proceedings, forcing them to appear without representation.

According to Human Rights Watch, both journalists were being held in poor and unsanitary conditions at Maafushi prison. On 15th May, prison officials transferred Naseer to a separate unit, placed him in solitary confinement, and denied him access to medical treatment for a skin condition that had worsened in custody.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said: “The imprisonment of Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Naseer, two journalists from the news site Adhadhu, is an extremely worrying abuse of power in the Maldives. Contempt of court charges must not be used as a tool to intimidate journalists or prevent coverage of a case involving the highest authority of the state.”

Peaceful Assembly

Arrests and disruption of opposition protests

The opposition People's National Front (PNF) began staging rallies in Malé on 7th April 2026, demanding the president's resignation.

On 15th April 2026, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) issued 12 demands to the government and announced plans to protest to call for their implementation.

Among the demands was the restoration of Parliament’s authority to appoint heads of independent institutions and for reforms to ensure that state projects are awarded through a transparent bidding process.

The MDP accused the police of obstructing the series of protests and using disproportionate force against demonstrators.

On 18th April 2026, MDP activist Maimoon Mohamed and Abdulla Rasheed were arrested during a protest on allegations of obstructing police duty and disobeying orders. They were released the following day under specific conditions that were not disclosed.

On 22nd April 2026, a protester suffered a seizure when police allegedly used excessive force and deployed tasers during an MDP demonstration in Male'. According to the party, a participant was struck with an electric baton by a police officer. The individual reportedly suffered a seizure following the assault and was subsequently transported to hospital for medical treatment.

Even after he collapsed unconscious from being struck with an electric baton, police reportedly obstructed requests to transport him to the hospital.

On 28th April 2026, The Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission ordered Channel 13 to stop broadcasting live footage of nightly protests taking place in Malé.

On 11th May 2026, the Elections Commission fined the PNF, MVR 100,000 (USD 6,469), citing repeated violations of the Political Parties Act. On 12th May, police arrested three PNF protesters and seized their pickup truck.

Protests against arrest of journalists met with arrests and excessive force

On 13th May 2026, former President Mohamed Nasheed led a large-scale protest in Malé, rallying against what the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has described as intimidation and the unlawful arrest of journalists (see above).

The demonstration drew hundreds of participants, with crowds filling the Artificial Beach area. The march set off from the MDP headquarters on Chaandhanee Magu, following a meeting chaired by Nasheed at the party camp, before proceeding along Majeedhee Magu and culminating at Artificial Beach. Protesters called for the immediate release of the arrested journalists and demanded stronger protections for press freedom and freedom of expression.

Tensions escalated near the residence of former President Abdullah Yameen Abdul Gayoom, where a verbal confrontation between protesters and police quickly deteriorated into clashes. In the aftermath, nine individuals were taken into custody following the mass protest.

A police spokesperson confirmed the following morning that nine people — seven men and two women — had been taken into custody on suspicion of obstructing police and failing to comply with their instructions.

Three of those detained, Shamoon Jaleel, Ali Juman, and Abdullah Shareef, were remanded in custody in connection with the demonstration, while the remainder were released. Of those remanded, Jaleel received a 10-day detention order, Juman five days, and Shareef three days.

On 14th May 2026, Maldivian news outlet Viraasee issued a statement expressing serious concern over the treatment of its journalists and media personnel by riot police during the events of 13th May 2026. According to the statement, senior journalist Ahmed Minaam Abdulla was physically assaulted by police officers while carrying out his professional duties. A senior photographer from the outlet was also attacked during the operation, and equipment used for media coverage was damaged.

Viraasee called on the National Integrity Commission, the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission, and the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives to conduct independent investigations into the incidents and take appropriate action against those responsible.

On 15th May 2026, police forcibly dispersed a joint protest held by the MDP and PNF in Malé calling for the release of detained journalists, resulting in one arrest. Officers deployed pepper spray without prior warning as protesters attempted to enter Majeedhee Magu, while also confiscating a megaphone and a sofa used during the demonstration. Witnesses further noted that police intimidated the crowd by driving a vehicle into the protest area at high speed.

On 19th May 2026, 13 media outlets observed a 12-hour media blackout, suspending their daily reporting in protest against escalating attacks on the media.

Association

Yameen Rasheed’s murder unresolved after nine years

23rd April 2026 marked nine years since blogger, human rights activist and Maldives Independent columnist Yameen Rasheed was stabbed to death in the stairwell of his apartment building in Malé following years of threats from religious extremists.

After the convictions of the two people charged with this crime were overturned in late 2025, his family is reiterating calls for full disclosure of the presidential inquiry’s findings - two years after it says this was promised by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu.

The Association for Democracy in the Maldives (ADM) condemned successive governments’ handling of the case. They said: “The delay of over two years in disclosing the information raises serious questions about the sincerity of the government in this matter.”

As previously documented, Rasheed had been a vocal critic of rising religious extremism, human rights abuses, injustice and government corruption. In January 2022, a criminal court convicted two people in connection with the murder. In December 2025, the High Court overturned the life sentences imposed on the two men.

ADM called on the government of Maldives to fully disclose the findings of the Presidential Commission on Deaths and Disappearances (DDCOM), which were handed over to President Mohamed Muizzu in May 2024, and reopen investigations against suspects released under questionable circumstances.