President Dr Mohamed Muizzu said the identity and personal details of the 18 year old who died at the Maldives National University (MNU) Dhanaal (hostel) were disclosed due to public and social media pressure.

The Home Ministry held a press conference the day after the incident last Monday, during which minister Ali Ihusan revealed messages the teenager had sent to the helpline on the night of her death.

At a press conference at the President’s Office today, a journalist questioned whether it was appropriate to disclose such information, referencing both the Dhanaal case and an earlier incident involving a youth found fallen on a rooftop in Male'.

In response, President Muizzu said he did not believe it was right to make public the personal information of someone dealing with mental health issues. However, he said authorities felt compelled to release details following allegations against police officers involved in the case.

“The information was disclosed due to pressure from the public,” he said.

“If you look at these cases, authorities were forced to provide some information. But that is not right either. It should be possible not to disclose such details.”

President Muizzu said public accusations often place significant pressure on officials, even when no wrongdoing has occurred, with potential consequences for them and their families.

He added that such disclosures are not in line with international standards, and said the information shared in this case was not what should have been released.

President Muizzu said that without public pressure, the personal details of the deceased would not have been made public, and stressed that such situations could be avoided if there was greater collective responsibility in handling sensitive cases.