A political cartoon published by Adhadhu on Thursday (January 22) does not insult prayer and it is a characteristic of dictators to restrict freedom by inventing their own meaning in connection with such cartoons, Ilyas Hussein Ibrahim has said.
Ilyas is a member of the Special Assembly that drafted the constitution.
The cartoon, which was posted on Facebook and X, has drawn criticism, including from some political figures in the government. But some others have said the cartoon depicts the state of society.
In a post on X, Ilyas said that a cartoon depicting a dictator cannot be considered an insult to prayer. He added that the true meaning of cartoons and poems will be with the artist.
"So taking such unfounded meaning and inventing legal, judicial action is an authoritarian characteristic. It is a characteristic of dictators!!," he said.
The Maldives Journalists Association (MJA) has strongly condemned an order by the Media Control Commission on Adhadhu to remove the cartoon immediately.
MJA President Ahmed Naif said the "cartoon should not be removed at all" and said the commission cannot issue such an order without formulating the rules to conduct investigations.
