Maldives: RSF calls for immediate withdrawal of media regulation bill threatening press freedom

Drafted without consulting media professionals, the controversial Maldives Media and Broadcasting Regulation Bill was adopted during an extraordinary session of parliament on 27 August. The text has been sent to the Committee on Independent Institutions, the entity responsible for consulting experts and stakeholders and making any necessary amendments. The Committee must now finalise the text by 15 September and submit it to the assembly for a second reading. The bill greenlights a merger of the Maldives Media Council (MMC), an independent press self-regulatory body, and the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (BroadCom), an entity that regulates the activities of radio broadcasters, whose members are elected by the parliament, to create a new "Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission," whose lack of autonomy from the government and arsenal of disproportionate sanctions would jeopardise the independence of the country's media.

On the same day the bill was adopted, members of the Maldivian Journalists Association (MJA) protested in front of parliament, the president's office and his official residence against the bill, which they describedas a "serious threat" to press freedom. The policebriefly arrestedat least three of these journalists and eventually released them. The MJA also condemned the threatening remarks made by Parliamentary Majority Leader Ibrahim Falah, a member of the People's National Congress (PNC), who, during the debates in the chamber, calledfor media professionals to be "impaled" rather than imprisoned.

Media regulation in the hands of the executive branch

The future commission would have seven members, three of whom would be directly appointed by the president, including the commission's chair. The remaining four members, elected by representatives of the media industry, could be dismissed by a parliamentary vote of no confidence. As the PNC, the ruling party, has an absolute majority in Parliament, the commission would de facto lack any external oversight, turning into an instrument of power rather than an independent regulator serving the public interest.

The bill's sponsors include independent MP Abdul Hannan Aboobakuru - who introduced the current bill as well as its previous version in November 2024, which was withdrawn following strong opposition from the media - and Parliamentary Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim, a member of the PNC. While they justify this reform by citing the need to combat disinformation and hate speech, news professionals have denounced it as a disguised attempt to muzzlethe independent media. The text contains vaguely-worded provisions prohibiting journalists from publishing information that is "likely to be false." This opaque wording could easily be used as a pretext for censorship, particularly to limit coverage of abuses of power.

The commission would also be given excessive powers to impose sanctions. It could impose heavy fines of up to 25,000 MVR (1,400 EUR) for journalists and up to 100,000 MVR (5,600 EUR) for media outlets. The regulatory body will also be able to revoke media licences, block websites and initiate punitive proceedings against editorial offices. In addition, the commission will be able to retroactively sanction content published up to one year before the law comes into force.

The Maldives ranks 104th out of 180 countries and territories in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index.