The Committee to Protect Journalists CPJ has voiced concerns after journalists were forcibly removed from the Parliamentary Committee meeting deliberating on the Media Bill.
This comes after the Parliamentary Committee on Independent Entities deliberated on the bill behind closed doors for the second consecutive day.
Videos emerged showing three journalists being physically removed from the Committee meeting.
The international organization CPJ stated that the legislation threatened press freedom in the country. It urged President Mohamed Muizzu to halt this undemocratic process and uphold the fundamental rights of journalists and the public to access, share, and debate information freely.
Media outlets and the opposition are accusing the ruling government, which holds a majority in the parliament, of trying to fast-track the media bill to exert control over the media.
The media bill looks to combine the Maldives Media Council and the Maldives Broadcasting Commission to form a new entity that would regulate the media by imposing fines and other punishments on media outlets and journalists.
