Dozens of journalists gathered outside the parliament in Male’ today to protest after the Committee on Independent Institutions decided to hold a review meeting on the controversial media regulation bill behind closed doors.
The bill, introduced by independent MP Abdul Hannan Abu Bakuru, has drawn strong criticism from journalists, the Maldives Media Council, the Maldives Journalists Association, and several international organizations. Despite the opposition, the parliament accepted the bill during an extraordinary sitting held while the legislature was officially in recess.
Committee Chair MP Hussain Riza announced that the meeting would be closed, citing concerns that personal information could be revealed when presenting public opinions on the bill. Following this announcement, journalists were escorted out of the meeting room and began protesting outside parliament.
Journalists have called for the bill to be rejected rather than discussed in secret. The chair also noted that ten to twelve comments had been received for each article of the bill, though the content of these comments has not been made public.
Earlier in the review process, consultation meetings with the Attorney General's Office, the Youth Ministry, and the Maldives Journalists Association were cancelled. Both the Maldives Media Council and the Broadcasting Commission of Maldives attended committee meetings during the review stage and strongly opposed the bill.
During a later session with media representatives, around twenty journalists voiced their opposition again, urging the committee to reject the legislation.
While today’s committee session was held behind closed doors, a vote to pass the bill could occur later today. The committee had previously planned to conclude its review by September 15.
In addition to the committee’s ongoing review, the parliament has also scheduled an extraordinary sitting next Monday, keeping the future of the bill uncertain but closely watched by media professionals and civil society.
