Petition submitted by journalists to reject Media Bill

A petition that has over 150 journalist's signatures has been issued to the Parliament and to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu concerning the rejection of the Media Bill.

The petition was made due to the concerns that journalists hold towards the Media Regulation Bill submitted by Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan AbuBakuru. The petition amassed 151 journalist signatures from 40 different media organizations.

The petition states that if the media's regulatory system is restructured as per the bill, then Maldivian journalism will be taken back by several years, with Maldives falling even further in the Press Freedom Index.

The petition also states that the bill was drafted without any consultation with journalists, the public and civil society organizations. It went on to say that the bill was designed by looking at some international broadcasting policies as examples, which will severely narrow the fundamental rights of journalists.

The petition states that the countries that were taken into account when designing the bill have self regulatory bodies to manage the field of journalism.

It is also written in the petition that journalists cannot freely carry out their responsibilities as the bill stands. The petition also states that the bill has been designed to narrow the responsibilities of journalists and allow their work to be influenced by groups, which in turn would create a harsh environment for journalism that makes it difficult for journalists to present information to the public without bias.

As per the petition, while a case is being reviewed by the newly formed commission, the power to temporarily seize licenses will be given to the council, along with the closure of news outlets for an undisclosed amount of time. The power to revoke the license will be given to the court. Due to the bill, it will be a difficult task for journalists to hold the government accountable and responsible, as was included in the petition as well.

The journalist's petition states that changing the current media self regulatory system into a regulatory system that can be influenced and run by the government will see the loss of press freedom.

The petition goes on to say that constitutionally confirmed rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of press along with various civil and political rights will be deprived.

As per the petition, the Constitution states that civil and political rights or freedoms of any amount can only be withheld to the extent as can be justified in a free and democratic society. Due to this, the petition calls for the rejection of the bill by the Parliament.

The bill is under review by the Independent Institutions Committee, with the Media Council and Broadcasting Commission, along with journalists, appearing before the committee to offer their opinions, where they stated that there are no measures described in the bill that offers any protection for journalists and the bill only serves to shackle the media. Due to this, they have called to reverse the bill's course or reject it immediately. 

Some foreign organizations have also expressed concern over the bill, with local journalists having protested outside of Parliament and the President's Office.