Hearings in gag order appeal to begin later this month

The High Court has scheduled a hearing of an appeal seeking to overturn a “gag order” issued by the Criminal Court concerning content published by Adhadhu media outlet for later this month.

In this regard, hearings in the case are scheduled to commence on June 29th, and accordingly, summons have already been issued to the relevant parties.

The first appeal against the Criminal Court’s gag order was filed by the Maldives Journalist Association (MJA). However, following the High Court’s dismissal of the MJA’s application, Adhadhu’s CEO Hussain Fiyaz Moosa subsequently submitted another appeal challenging the gag order.

MJA’s petition was dismissed by High Court Registrar Maryam Hoorsheedha citing that the association lacked legal capacity to file the appeal. In response, the MJA argued that, as the Criminal Court’s order applies broadly to the public, it infringes upon the fundamental rights of both citizens and journalists.

The contested order prohibits the dissemination of specific content and bans any direct or indirect discussion of the narratives contained within it. It further restricts the disclosure of information relating to the parties involved or the victim in the case.

The order was issued by Criminal Court Judge Muzammil Nasir in connection with defamation charges against Adhadhu’s CEO Fiyaz and Editor Hassan Mohamed. The trial of the two journalists is currently being held behind closed doors at the Criminal Court.

Previously, two other journalists from Adhadhu – Leevan Ali Naseer and Mohamed Shahuzan – were imprisoned for allegedly violating the gag order. Their detention was condemned by Transparency Maldives, which described the action as an affront to the fundamental principles of democratic governance.