Two journalists from "Adhadhu" news, Mohamed Shahzan and Leewan Ali Naseer, were sentenced to prison by the Criminal Court today after the court ruled they had committed contempt of court.

Shahzan was sentenced to 15 days in prison, while Leewan received a 10-day jail sentence.

The order to detain Shahzan came after he posed a question during a press conference at the President’s Office regarding the video documentary released by "Adhadhu," despite a gag order issued by the court regarding the matter.

The previous order issued by the Criminal Court explicitly instructed that the video documentary published by "Adhadhu" news must not be circulated within the community and that no content within the documentary should be discussed, either directly or indirectly.

That order was issued following a request from the state after Qazf (false accusation of unchastity) charges were filed against Adhadhu CEO Hussain Fiyaz Moosa and editor Hassan Mohamed. The trial for that case is scheduled to begin tomorrow.

When Shahzan asked a question related to the matter during President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's press conference yesterday, the President stated that he had violated the court order and instructed him to leave the hall. He was removed from the premises with the assistance of security personnel.

Consequently, following a request from the Prosecutor General’s Office to investigate the matter, Shahzan was brought before the Criminal Court today for a hearing regarding contempt of court.

Leewan was ordered to be detained on allegations that he wrote a news report in violation of the order issued concerning the video documentary. He was also brought before the court today.

Previously, Fiyaz and Hassan were also summoned to the police on allegations of Qazf. However, both decided to remain silent during the investigation stage, asserting that protecting sources is a constitutionally guaranteed right.