A court hearing for the Qazf charges (an Islamic criminal charge of false accusation of adultery or fornication) filed against Adhadhu editor Hassan Mohamed has been scheduled for June 8.
The hearing, which is being conducted behind closed doors, is set to commence at 11:00 am on Monday, June 8.
Adhadhu CEO Hussain Fiyaz also faces Qazf charges, with his trial proceedings scheduled to take place concurrently.
The charges are related to the "Aisha" documentary, which featured a former President's Office employee making sexual and corruption allegations against President Mohamed Muizzu.
The documentary was released on March 28. Police raided Adhadhu office one month later, on April 28, after a journalist questioned Muizzu about the allegations.
Charges were filed against Fiyaz and Hassan 14 days after the investigation was launched. The probe was initiated following a direct order from Muizzu during the press conference on April 28.
During the raid on Adhadhu office that same night, police seized 20 electronic devices, including laptops and hard drives.
The following day, Fiyaz and Hassan were slapped with travel bans and summoned to police headquarters for questioning. The former President’s Office employee involved in the allegations was also summoned and barred from leaving the country.
Furthermore, Adhadhu journalist Mohamed Shahzan was sentenced to 15 days in prison after questioning Muizzu about the allegations during a press conference. Additionally, Leevan Ali Nasir, another journalist from Adhadhu, was jailed for 10 days for reporting on a court order that prohibited public discussion of the allegations against Muizzu.
