First Lady pursues civil action against Mandhy, Fayyaz and MDP over remarks about teenage son

Sajidha Mohamed, the spouse of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, has decided to pursue civil action over remarks made about their teenage son during recent rallies held by the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in the Maldivian capital, Male’ City.

The decision to take civil action was announced in a press conference on Saturday afternoon by Aishath Azima Shakoor, the family’s legal representative.

Azima, a former attorney general, read a statement from Sajidha, which refers to remarks made by Mariyam ‘Mandhy’ Zubair, a secretary at the MDP office, regarding her 16-year-old son, Umair Mohamed Muizzu. She alleged that President Muizzu decided to implement a vape ban in Maldives last year because his son was caught vaping.

In her statement, Sajidha denied allegations her son ever vaped or smoked in general.

She also expressed concern over the spread of “false and baseless” claims regarding Umair over social media and mainstream media over the last one year, especially over the last couple of days.

Sajidha said these rumors were being spread by people who are against President Muizzu’s politics, but that things have escalated to the level that it is now endangering her son.

“These comments include ones detrimental to my son’s school life and social wellbeing. I note with concern that this has put his entire future as well as his safety at risk,” she said.

Umair has two siblings, and older sister and a younger brother, who is eight years of age.

In her statement, Sajidha said that none of her children have anything to do with President Muizzu or her political decisions.

She also expressed concern over a rise in acts of bullying and harassment targeting her other two children following recent events, something that she said finds hard to accept.

Sajidha said that she had never reacted to any criticism targeted at her family in the past as pursing a public career had been a choice President Muizzu made.

But she said that she, as a mother, cannot stand by and watch as her children are targeted with attempts to smear their name and reputation and undermine their safety.

“I am taking this action as a private citizen and a mother. This does not involve the government. My goal is to create an environment where all our children can live safely,” said Sajidha, announcing her decision to pursue civil action.

Azima told reporters that Sajidha will be filing lawsuits against Mandhy, as well as MDP’s chairperson Fayyaz Ismail and the MDP itself.

She said they decided to sue MDP remarks in question were made at the party’s rallies.

“We therefore believe they [the MDP] have a legal liability here,” she said.

When asked the reason for suing Fayyaz, Azima said it was because of a post he wrote on the social media X. But she did not elaborate.

Azima declined to go into the specifics of the shape the lawsuits will take, but said the legal team was analyzing more social media posts and videos in order to prepare court filings.

“This is the decision we made. There’s no doubt that they violated the dignity of a child. They engaged in acts in violation of the Child Rights Act. They violated the rights of children to safety, name and reputation, and dignity that are guaranteed under the Constitution,” she said.

Azima said they plan to file the lawsuits with the Civil Court in the coming week, and will also petition relevant institutions to pursue further civil action.

The remarks made at the MDP rally were condemned by the Elections Commission (EC) and the Human Rights Commission (HRCM).

The EC urged against the propagation of baseless claims that violate the rights of children or could affect their dignity and mental wellbeing during political events.

HRCM urged political parties against violating the rights of others when exercising the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression.

The MDP insisted that the remarks weren’t targeted at a child.