Anti-defamation bill at Parliament replaced by new bill

The Anti-defamation bill presented to the Parliament with a large number of obstructions to journalism and freedom of speech has been withdrawn.

Parliament Majority Leader, MP Ahmed Nihan Hussian Manik, who presented the bill to Parliament, has confirmed the withdrawal of his bill in a tweet.

Nihan said that the bill was his own and he withdrew it when the government submitted a new version of the bill.

The new bill from the government was presented by the MP for Ungoofaaru constituency, Jaufaru Dhaaood.

MP Jaufaru told Sun Media tonight that the fines on his bill are lower and failure to pay the fine will result in jail time but the sentence would be shorter.

He said that there are two main parts in the bill which are media related part which covers rumors over the media and the individual part, which covers the speeches and such on public platforms.

In the new bill, defamation would go to court as a civil suit and failure to pay any fines would change it to a criminal case.