The Minister of Homeland Security, Labour, and Technology Ali Ihusaan has stated that a mobile phone had been found in the prison cell of Adhadhu journalists Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Naseer, and that the case will be investigated.

On May 12, Shahzan had been sentenced to 15 days in prison, while Leevan had been sentenced to 10 days in prison for violating a gag order issued by Criminal Court prohibiting either direct or indirect discussion of an Adhadhu News documentary. They have carried out their sentences and have since been released.

Shahzan gave an interview to the media yesterday after his release, stating that after he and Leevan had been initially placed inside the same prison cell, they were separated and put into two different cells upon President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's request. He also said that corrections officers would enter his cell every night with metal mallets and hammers and would repeatedly hit the bed and walls in order to intimidate him.

Home Minister Ihusaan responded to Shahzan's statement on X, stating that Shahzan's words were "100 percent lies".

The minister said that upon corrections officers entering the prison cell previously occupied by Shahzan, Leevan and two other individuals, who were imprisoned due to an anonymous tip, they had found a phone in a cupboard among some clothes upon conducting a search.

"Shahzan and Leevan were both imprisoned in separate cells where they can be monitored, as is the protocol when it comes to other prisoners. And as is the protocol, the cells were searched at specific intervals," said the minister.

According to the minister, the police are investigating the case where a prohibited item was found in a prison cell, with a mobile phone being one of the items that are prohibited from being brought into prison.

He also said that this is being done not because of certain prisoners nor do corrections officers do as such based on the individual. Minister Ihusaan said that President Muizzu does not provide any instruction nor does he make any decisions regarding such matters related to prisons.

However, the minister did not confirm nor deny whether the phone that was found in the cell is connected to the two journalists. It is unclear as to steps were taken against others who were in the cell.

Leevan's legal team stated that there was no one besides Leevan in the cell he was put into and that he was completely isolated. They also said that the cell next to Leevan held suspects who were accused of murder.

The lawyer highlighted that the Correctional Service had made a submission regarding medical treatment for Leevan, as he has a skin condition and that it had worsened after he was imprisoned. Even though his family had sent a lotion specific to his condition to the prison, his family said that Leevan did not receive it.

Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) has also launched an investigation into the treatment of Shahzan and Leevan during their imprisonment.