Govt says Adhadhu briefing ban doesn't require written notice

The government is not required to provide written notice of its decision to exclude Adhadhu from President’s Office press briefings, chief government spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said on Saturday.

His comments came after a President’s Office briefing scheduled to take place at TVM was moved to another venue when journalists from Adhadhu attended.

The news outlet has been excluded from the briefings since it questioned President Mohamed Muizzu at a press conference concerning its documentary, “Aisha”.

Asked about the action against Adhadhu, Shareef denied that the outlet had been penalised for carrying out its responsibilities as a media organisation.

He said regulations governing press conferences had been published in the government gazette and did not require the President’s Office to communicate the decision in writing.

“There is nothing in the gazette stating that the President’s Office must provide this in writing,” Shareef said.

“It will be in accordance with the regulations, to the letter, and with legal advice sought.”

Asked whether Adhadhu would remain excluded from President’s Office press conferences for the rest of the administration’s term, Shareef said a request to review the decision could be submitted once criminal proceedings involving the outlet’s journalists had concluded.

“I do not accept that this was action taken against a media outlet for fulfilling its responsibilities as a media organisation,” he said.

Adhadhu journalists Leevan Ali Nasir and Mohamed Shahuzan were arrested in connection with the documentary. The outlet’s chief executive, Hussain Fiyaz Moosa, and editor, Hassan Mohamed, were charged with qazf, the offence of making an accusation of unlawful sexual intercourse.