Parliament passes media regulation bill amid protests
The bill was approved with 60 votes in favour and one against, with 61 out of 63 members present taking part in the vote.
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Parliament on Tuesday passed the media regulation bill in an extraordinary sitting, despite widespread criticism from journalists and civil society groups.
The bill was approved with 60 votes in favour and one against, with 61 out of 63 members present taking part in the vote. Opposition members who protested the bill were expelled from the chamber before voting.
The legislation was passed with amendments proposed by the Attorney General during the committee stage and four additional amendments submitted by Fonadhoo MP Mohamed Mamdooh, which were supported by Baarah MP Ibrahim Shujau.
Galolhu South MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) was among those expelled from the chamber.
The bill’s passage followed a rapid series of steps in recent days:
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The Independent Institutions Committee approved the bill on Monday without addressing concerns raised by the press. The committee’s version of the bill was not made publicly available, with the parliamentary website down.
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A petition signed by 151 journalists calling for the withdrawal of the bill was dismissed by the Petitions Committee.
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An extraordinary sitting was scheduled for Tuesday to approve the legislation. Members received the agenda only hours before the session.
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The Independent Institutions Committee met again on Tuesday to finalise its report, which was passed without time to review the bill.
Large numbers of journalists and members of the public gathered outside Parliament to protest peacefully. Protest leaders reported receiving threats, including death threats to individual journalists and threats to family members employed in government jobs.
In the afternoon, police used force to disperse the crowd, pushing protesters back towards Majeedhiyya School. Property belonging to Raajje TV was damaged during the operation.
Two individuals, journalist and Media Council member Leevan Ali Naseer, and taxi driver Mohamed Shamin, were arrested during the protest but later released.
