Sri Lankan journalists have called on President Mohamed Muizzu not to ratify the media control bill.
About 20 journalists demonstrated outside the Maldives High Commission in Colombo at 3:00 pm on Wednesday to show solidarity with Maldivian journalists.
"Today, as journalists, we are asking the Maldivian President not to sign it, because it will erode the media freedom in the Maldives," one journalist said.
On Tuesday, the government exploited its supermajority in the parliament to push through the draconian legislation aimed at restricting freedom of expression.
The government is now facing pressure for rushing the restrictive legislation despite appeals for its withdrawal.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also called on Muizzu to reject the bill and "uphold his pledge to protect media freedom."
On Tuesday, the US embassy also called on the government to uphold the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
