Religious freedom is further at risk in the Maldives after the Indian Ocean archipelago legalised criminal defamation on Tuesday.
Advertisement
A coalition of opposition parties said the passage of the controversial law was a retrograde step in a country which abolished criminal defamation in 2009, a year after its first democratic elections. Failure to pay the fine can result in a jail term of up to six months.
– The Maldives’ parliament has passed a law that criminalizes defamation and allows for jail terms and steep fines for journalists, despite local and global concern that it will be a setback for freedom of speech in the country.
“The defamation bill passed by the Maldivian parliament today is a serious setback for freedom of expression in the country”, State Department Spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau said on Tuesday.
Publications, including websites, found carrying “defamatory” comments could also have their licenses revoked.
President Abdulla Yameen’s administration went ahead with the defamation law despite criticism from the United Nations, rights groups and Western nations including the United States, Britain, Germany and the European Union.
The United Nations said it was “very worried” about the law.
“So basically it’s crippling freedom of expression including on the basis of defamation of religion, national security and social norms”, said Mona Rishmawi, chief of the Rule of Law branch at the United Nations human rights office. Four journalists from the pro-opposition Raajje TV channel are on trial on charges including obstructing law enforcement officers while covering anti-government protests.
“They have asked that the bill be amended to not give courts of law the authority to formulate the policies and regulation on how media should cover reports and rulings issued by courts and tribunals”, they said.
“The government no longer needs an excuse to shut down media outlets or crack down on dissenters”, Ali Naafiz, assistant editor of the private Mihaaru news website, told AFP. We have fought really hard. We are not giving up.
Mr. Kaye further added that the broad grounds for restrictions in the Bill contradict not only worldwide human rights standards recognised by the Maldives, such as the global Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, but also the its own Constitution, which protects the right to freedom of expression.
Advertisement
The law was passed as the United Nations urged the Maldives not to carry out planned executions for convicts on death row and to uphold a moratorium it had respected for decades.
