Former Chairperson of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Fayyaz Ismail, last night called for the withdrawal of criminal charges filed against Adhadhu CEO Hussain Fiyaz Moosa and Editor Hassan Mohamed in connection with the "Aisha" documentary.
In a post on X, Fayyaz said that the trial against Fiyaz and Hassan is less about imprisoning two journalists and more about intimidating the entire press corps.
"This is not just a trial to jail two journalists. The purpose of this trial is to intimidate all journalists in general. I call on the government to withdraw these charges," Fayyaz said.
Fayyaz further noted that turning the criminal justice system into a shield to protect the personal interests and reputation of those in power undermines public confidence in the entire judiciary.
A pre-trial hearing for the case was held behind closed doors this morning.
The Qazf (an Islamic criminal charge of falsely accusing someone of adultery) charges against Fiyaz and Hassan stem from the publication of the documentary while they served as editors at Adhadhu. The documentary contained allegations that President Mohamed Muizzu had an extramarital affair with an employee of the President’s Office.
However, the police investigation into the matter only commenced a month after the documentary’s release, following a question posed to Muizzu about the film. During that press conference, Muizzu ordered an investigation into the matter and directed that charges be filed against everyone involved.
On the same day Muizzu issued that directive, police raided the Adhadhu office and seized all electronic devices used for journalism, including laptops and hard drives.
Furthermore, Adhadhu journalist Mohamed Shahuzan was expelled from the President’s Office after questioning the President about evidence related to the documentary during a press briefing. Shahuzan was jailed for 15 days for asking the question.
Additionally, Adhadhu’s Leevan Ali Nasir was jailed for 10 days on charges of contempt of court after reporting on a court order that prohibited discussion of the allegations against Muizzu.
