The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has said that the Broadcasting Commission (Control Commission) Act, which was passed and came into force last year, is being used to curb freedom of the press.

The commission has ordered Adhadhu to stop its political cartoon segment. The commission has repeatedly ordered Adhadhu to temporarily remove the cartoon published on January 22 and suspend the political cartoon segment.

“As grimly anticipated, the unconstitutional ‘media control bill’ is already facilitating the censorship of legitimate journalism and editorial content, only empowering the targeted violence, intimidation, and harassment of independent journalists," the IFJ said.

The IFJ also called "for a swift, transparent investigation into the threats" against Maldives Journalists Association (MJA) President Ahmed Naif "to ensure the perpetrators are prosecuted."

Earlier, the MJA condemned the order to remove Adhadhu's cartoon.

"This is exactly what we feared: the new Media Act being weaponised to suppress press freedom. Censoring satire is a slippery slope to silencing all dissent," the MJA stated.