Criminal Court has ordered Adhadhu News to provide police with the passwords for laptops and hard drives seized from their office during an investigation into the "Aisha" documentary posted on the outlet's social media.

The order, issued by Judge Ahmed Shafiu, instructs Adhadhu to provide passcodes for laptops, hard drives, pen drives, cloud storage, and social media accounts held by the police, and to grant access to the data stored on those devices.

However, the order stipulates that a representative appointed by the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission must be present when accessing this data. Furthermore, as the materials requested by the police are legally privileged, the court ordered that measures be taken to maintain the confidentiality of the information and to ensure its protection.

Despite this, Adhadhu has decided not to comply with the order.

Ali Hussain, the legal counsel for the news outlet’s CEO Hussain Fiyaz, stated that when Fiyaz was summoned to the police today to provide the information under the order, they informed authorities that the information would not be disclosed. The lawyer said this is because the right to protect sources is a constitutional right.

"If the passcodes are given, the sources will be revealed. Therefore, because the sources may be exposed, the passcodes were not provided," Ali Hussain said.

Ali Hussain mentioned that the police warned of other consequences if the passcodes were not provided in accordance with the order; however, he stated that Fiyaz is not prepared to reveal the sources, even if it leads to prosecution or imprisonment.

Following the "Aisha" documentary, which featured anonymous and voice-distorted interviews and allegedly accused President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of Qazf (accusations of adultery), both Fiyaz and the outlet's editor, Hassan Mohamed, were summoned by the police. Both remained silent during the investigation.

Fiyaz stated that he exercised his right to remain silent in the interest of the Maldivian people. He added that he guarantees the information provided by various sources will be kept secure.

The police have raised five allegations against Fiyaz and Hassan:

In addition to Hassan and Fiyaz, the passport of Aishath Eesha Ashraf, who is accused of providing information for the documentary, has been withheld, and she has been placed under a travel ban.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the British High Commissioner to Maldives, Nick Lowe, have expressed concern over the police seizure of items from the Adhadhu office and the travel bans imposed on its staff.