Court rejects live hearings in Sajidha's case against MDP activist
The case involves Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) activist Mariyam Zubair, the MDP, and its Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail.
The Civil Court has ruled that the hearing of a civil case filed by First Lady Sajidha Mohamed will not be livestreamed or broadcast live.
The case involves Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) activist Mariyam Zubair, the MDP, and its Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail. The First Lady filed the civil suit following remarks made by Zubair at an MDP rally, in which it was alleged that the ban on vape products in the Maldives was linked to President Mohamed Muizzu's son, Umair Mohamed Muizzu.
Sajidha's legal representative had requested that the hearings of the three respondents be conducted jointly and broadcast live. The court accepted the request to hold a combined hearing, noting that the claims against the three parties relate to the same issue. However, Civil Court Judge Faisal Adam decided against livestreaming the proceedings.
The court cited several reasons for not allowing a live broadcast. These include:
-
The protection of a child’s interests, particularly where a child is the subject of the case;
-
The possibility of causing irreparable harm to the child due to the political sensitivity of the matter;
-
Exceptions under the Constitution that allow for closed hearings in cases involving minors.
Judge Faisal stated that although public access to court proceedings is the general rule, protecting a child from potential harm outweighs that principle in this case.
In addition to the civil case, Sajidha has filed a separate case at the Family Court. According to the First Lady’s legal team:
-
The Civil Court case concerns alleged violations of constitutional rights related to the protection of name and reputation;
-
The Family Court case concerns alleged breaches of the Protection of Children's Rights Act and relevant international agreements, specifically the right to dignity and protection of children.
The MDP has stated that it will respond to the legal actions taken by Sajidha and Azima Shakoor, lead lawyer representing her. The party maintains that Zubair did not identify any child by name and that personal information about the child was instead disclosed by Sajidha’s legal representatives during a press briefing.
