Jailed journalist Leevan receives MNU Dean's Award

Journalist Leevan Ali Nasir, who was jailed last month for violating a Criminal Court gag order in a case involving allegations of Qazf against President Mohamed Muizzu, received the Maldives National University (MNU) Dean's Award on Thursday.

Leevan, a journalist at Adhadhu, is currently enrolled in MNU's Bachelor of Arts in Media and Public Relations programme.

The award was presented during a ceremony held at the MNU Auditorium, where MNU Chancellor Dr Mahmood Shaugee handed the award to Leevan.

The Dean's Award is presented to students who achieve the highest academic results in their respective programmes during a semester.

According to MNU, Leevan received the award for attaining the highest marks in the first semester of the second year of his degree programme, which he completed last year.

Several other students from different programmes also received Dean's Awards during the ceremony.

Speaking to Dhauru after receiving the award, Leevan said the recognition reflected the effort required to balance academic studies with his work as a journalist.

"This is a very happy achievement. This is the result of the perseverance it took to work hard in journalism while studying at the same time," he said.

Leevan's award comes weeks after he served a jail sentence for breaching a court order related to reporting restrictions in a criminal case.