The CEO of "Adhadhu" news, Hussain Fiyaz Moosa, and the outlet's editor, Hassan Mohamed, have been charged with Qazf (false accusation of unchastity).
Prosecutor General’s Office filed the criminal charges against the two journalists and sent the case to the Criminal Court today. The court has decided to conduct a closed trial. Generally, cases of this nature are not opened to the public in court.
While Fiyaz and Hassan are being charged and tried, the state requested an order mandating compliance with specific instructions. Criminal Court Judge Muzzamil Nasir issued that order today.
- Not to circulate the video documentary published by "Adhadhu" news within the community.
- Not to discuss any content within the documentary, either directly or indirectly.
- Not to speak about any party to the case or the victim in connection with the documentary.
- Not to spread documents submitted to the case or information related to the trial.
The order stated that any of these actions would be considered contempt of court.
In the order issued today, the Criminal Court stated that since the offense of Qazf is among the major sins in Islamic Shariah, it has been prohibited in the strongest terms and carries a severe punishment. The order noted that it is prohibited to such an extent to protect reputation and self-dignity.
The order stated that even in a situation where an individual is accused and charged, they have the right to have their name and reputation protected; and there is no legal basis to consider a person to have committed a crime unless a court sentences them after the crime is proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
According to the order, the rights of the accused and the victim must be fulfilled during the trial stage in a way that balances these two rights.
Furthermore, the Judge stated in the order that before the court decides on the subject matter of the case, the courts are entrusted with the responsibility of upholding all principles of the Constitution, the law, and the rights and freedoms of all individuals in a manner that does not affect the rights stated in the Constitution.
Both Fiyaz and Hassan were summoned to the police regarding the allegation of Qazf. However, both chose to remain silent during the investigation stage. They stated the reason for this is that protecting a journalist's source is a right provided by the Constitution and that, as journalists, they would not reveal their sources.
Criminal Court also issued an order against Adhadhu during the investigation stage. That order instructed them to provide passcodes for laptops, hard drives, pen drives, cloud storage, and social media accounts withheld by the police, and to grant access to the data on those devices. However, Adhadhu CEO Fiyaz refused to comply.
In connection with this case, the passports of Fiyaz and Hassan have also been withheld for a period of three months.
