Media Council defends freedom of press

Maldives Media Council (MMC) has decided to stand up against the obstruction of press freedom imposed by the recently passed bill on parliament privileges. This bill has been passed by the parliament without any amendment after it was returned by the president for reconsideration; and thus must now be ratified the president.

MMC President Ibrahim Khaleel said at a press conference today that the bill obstructs freedom of press and that the council will stand up against this. He said that article 17 and 18 of the bill empowers the parliament and its committees to summon anyone to give witness or to hand over documents of interest, which could undermine the constitutional protection currently enjoyed by journalists.

Khaleel said that action will be taken towards removing the sections in the bill that obstruct freedom of press, including holding a press conference jointly with the media, meeting the attorney general, meeting leaders of political parties, cooperating with groups that file cases in relation to this issue to court, and meeting with the Parliament Committee on Independent Institutions.

When asked by Sun Online if any group had assured that the problem will be solved, Khaleel said that no such assurance had been received thus far, but that several groups had expressed concern over the matter.

“Some people might say - why should journalists have special privileges, why should they be favoured? It’s very different, the press is very different. This is stipulated in the constitution of the Maldives. Freedom of press is described in a separate article in article 28 of the constitution, because the press is different,” he said.

MMC Member, President of Maldives Journalist Association (MJA) Hiriga Ahmed Zahir said that this is one of the biggest challenges faced by the press in the Maldives since the passing of the constitution, and urged all media stations to cooperate in finding a solution to this problem.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), an organisation that aims to protect and strengthen the rights and freedoms of journalists, has expressed concern over the bill on parliament privileges, and MJA has indicated that it will file a case on this issue to the Supreme Court.