Parliament committee refers threats against journalists to police

The Parliamentary Committee on Independent Institutions has approved the referral of threats against journalists protesting the media regulation bill to the police.

The issue was raised by Galolhu South MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem during a committee meeting on Monday. The committee had met with journalists from various media outlets to gather their views on the bill. At the meeting, several journalists reported receiving threats aimed at stopping their protests against the legislation.

Before the session concluded, MP Meekail stated that it was the committee’s duty to ensure the safety of journalists and to report the threats to the police on its own initiative. Kelaa MP Abdulla Shareef supported the motion, further urging journalists who face intimidation to submit their complaints in writing to the committee. The decision to refer the matter to the police was passed unanimously.

The proposed bill, which has already been accepted by Parliament and sent to committee, seeks to regulate the media through a commission empowered by the government. Journalists and organisations, both domestic and international, have consistently opposed the bill.

Their main concerns are that the legislation contains provisions restricting press freedom, and that it was drafted without consultation with journalists, relevant experts, or stakeholders. Journalists have called for the bill to be withdrawn entirely, rather than amended, and have urged that any reforms to media regulation should be developed in consultation with relevant authorities and within a reasonable timeframe.