Chief Government Spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu) has stated today that no action will be taken against any person for asking questions of the President as long as no laws are broken. 

Mundhu made these remarks in response to a question posed by a journalist at his weekly press conference.

Mundhu stated that President Dr Mohamed Muizzu consistently reiterates that he will fully respect court orders. As the President, he also always advises the public to abide by the law, the spokesperson said. 

The journalist's question concerned the imprisonment of Adhadhu journalists Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Nasir on contempt of court charges, citing they had breached a Criminal Court-issued gag order. 

Leevan was jailed for 10 days for his reporting on the gag order, while Shahzan received a 15 day prison sentence for posing a question related to the Adhadhu documentary at a presidential press briefing while the gag order had already been in force.

Following Shahzan's question and his removal from the press briefing, the President stated that all citizens are obligated to abide by the Criminal Court gag order.

The gag order issued by the Criminal Court prohibits media and the public from direct or indirect discussion of the documentary and its contents, as well as circulation of the said video. 

At today's press briefing, Mundhu said that as there is separation of powers in this country, the government would not take any actions that would undermine the judiciary. The government would also not allow any actions that would infringe upon the legal powers of any branch of the State, he said. 

"The tone or volume you use in asking a question of the president, or criticizing the government will not violate any laws. As long as no laws are broken, no institutions, including the President, will take any action against you," Mundhu stated. 

However, people from all fields, including the President, will have their rights and privileges, powers and responsibilities, Mundhu said. 

"But when a law is broken, as a government, we won't say that they are exempt based on which sector they are from. The President will not say such a thing. That is not our policy," he continued. 

Mundhu stated that one journalist had been arrested for violating a court order, when the PG Office had notified the court of this. The other, he said, had been arrested through being summoned to the court for violating a court order, on the court's own initiative. He claimed that as such, there is no room to speculate that the journalists had been imprisoned on the President's orders.