The Maldives Journalists Association (MJA) has condemned the President's Office's deliberate attempt to mislead the public after informing journalists that they could not bring mobile phones to press conferences.
Journalists who went to a press conference at the President's Office on Sunday were told that they could not take phones inside. However, they were allowed to keep their phones due to the lack of prior notice. But President's Office officials said at the time that journalists could not bring phones to future press conferences.
However, the President's Office and Chief Spokesperson Heena Waleed later said that the media and NGOs claimed to have been unable to take phones inside. Heena posted photos on social media of journalists with their phones.
MJA released a second statement on the issue on Monday. The NGO had also put out a statement condemning Sunday's incident. In the latter statement, MJA condemned the President's Office's deliberate attempt to distort an incident witnessed by several journalists.
"MJA is deeply disturbed by the President's Office comments on Sunday, April 28, in which the office deliberately misled and misconstrued events prior to Sunday's press conference," the journalist association said in the statement.
Citing journalists, MJA said the President's Office allowed phones to be taken in after journalists protested over the failure to communicate the new rule ahead of the press conference.
However, President's Office officials informed the media that phones would not be allowed starting from the next press event, the statement noted. This was how the incident was reported by all media outlets.
MJA said this version of events was corroborated by eight journalists from eight different media organizations.
"MJA deplores the attempt by the President's Office to distort these events that were witnessed by dozens of media workers, including the office's attempt to misconstrue information that was reported by the media," the statement read.
After the government faced widespread criticism over Sunday's incident, the President's Office said later that journalists would be allowed to take phones to press conferences.
President's Office Communications Minister Ibrahim Khaleel told Adhadhu that the mobile phone ban was implemented under the general security protocol of the premises.
He added that journalists were given special permission on Sunday and that this permission would be given to journalists in the future as well.
Khaleel claimed that it was not the government's policy to prevent journalists from entering the President's Office for press conferences with their phones.
