![Maldives journalists Shahzan and Leevan [Courtesy of Maldives Journalist Association]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_3860-1778672753.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
Maldives journalists Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Nasir were sentenced to 15 and 10 days in jail respectively.
Press freedom groups have condemned the jailing of two journalists in the Maldives after they were convicted for breaching a court-issued gag order linked to a documentary alleging an affair involving President Mohamed Muizzu.
The journalists, Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Nasir, were sentenced by a criminal court in the capital, Malé. Shahzan received 15 days in prison while Nasir was handed 10 days. The court said they violated restrictions placed on public discussion of the case.
International media rights organisations, including the International Federation of Journalists and the Committee to Protect Journalists, strongly criticised the verdict, calling it an attack on press freedom and investigative reporting.
The controversy centres on a documentary titled Aisha, published by the news outlet Adhadhu on March 28. The film contained anonymised claims from a woman alleging a sexual relationship with President Muizzu. The president has denied the allegations, describing them as false and baseless.
Following the documentary’s release, police raided Adhadhu’s offices, seizing computers, storage devices and other materials belonging to journalists and staff. Authorities also imposed a gag order barring any direct or indirect reporting on the allegations, the charges, or ongoing court proceedings.
According to Adhadhu, Shahzan was arrested after questioning the president over alleged late-night phone calls to a former aide, while Nasir was jailed for reporting on the existence of the gag order itself. The outlet also said the trials were conducted behind closed doors and concluded within hours, with limited access to legal representation.
Media watchdogs have described the process as “judicial harassment” and warned that the case represents a growing crackdown on independent journalism in the Indian Ocean nation.
The Maldives Journalists Association said the sentences were unprecedented and raised serious concerns about the erosion of democratic freedoms. It argued that the gag order failed legal standards of necessity and proportionality and effectively criminalised basic reporting.
The case has further intensified scrutiny of press freedom in the Maldives, a tourism-dependent nation often praised for democratic reforms but increasingly criticised for restrictions on media and political opposition.
Legal experts and opposition figures have also warned that additional charges could follow. Two editors at Adhadhu are currently facing separate proceedings under Islamic law provisions related to defamation, which carry potential penalties including imprisonment and corporal punishment.
The government, however, has rejected claims that the prosecutions target press freedom. Presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said the cases were lawful and not an attack on journalism, adding that the administration remains committed to a free and responsible media environment.
Despite those assurances, rights groups insist the case signals a worrying shift in the country’s democratic trajectory, with growing concerns that journalists are being punished for reporting on sensitive political issues.
