Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has also called for the withdrawal of the media regulation bill.
"Under the guise of reform, the bill aims to place media regulation under the direct influence of the executive branch and provides for extensive punitive powers," a statement issued by RSF reads.
The bill was accepted by parliament in an extraordinary sitting held while the parliament was officially in recess. The bill was accepted through votes in favour from 49 MPs of the ruling People's National Congress (PNC).
The bill has now been forwarded for review by the Parliament's Committee on Independent Institutions. The committee aims to complete its review of the bill by September 15. It has announced that it will be accepting comments on the bill from the public, and is also scheduled to meet with media representatives tomorrow.
The bill aims to merge the Maldives Media Council (MMC) and the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (BroadCom), and to replace them with a new Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission.
RSF commented on this new commission, stating that its "lack of autonomy from the government and arsenal of disproportionate sanctions would jeopardise the independence of the country’s media".
"This bill is a direct attack on press freedom in the Maldives. By entrusting media regulation to a commission under the direct influence of the executive branch and introducing disproportionate penalties, it will encourage censorship. This commission could block news websites without a court order, concentrating the powers of prosecution, judgement and enforcement without external oversight. RSF calls on the Maldives parliament to immediately withdraw this bill, engage in genuine consultation with journalists and professional organisations, and guarantee an independent self-regulation mechanism in line with democratic principles," Celia Mercier, Head of the RSF South Asia Desk stated.
RSF's calls to withdraw the bill add to statements opposing the bill issued from Maldives Journalists Association and twenty other local and international organizations, all calling for the bill to be rejected.
The bill, submitted by Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan AbuBakuru, prescribes fines of up to MVR 25,000 against individual journalists and fines of up to MVR 100,000 against media outlets. The bill also allows for licenses of media outlets to be suspended, as well as news websites to be blocked, allowing retroactive sanctions to be enforced for content published up to a year before ratification of the bill.
"The text contains vaguely-worded provisions prohibiting journalists from publishing information that is “likely to be false.” This opaque wording could easily be used as a pretext for censorship, particularly to limit coverage of abuses of power," the RSF statement reads.
The new commission outlined in the bill is also set to have three members appointed by the President, with the remaining four to be elected by media. The President also holds the authority to appoint the Committee Chair. Journalists raise concerns that this goes against global best practices, and would compromise the independence of the commission.
RSF further states that Maldives ranks 104th out of 180 countries and territories in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index.
