MALE — A criminal court in Malé sentenced journalist Mohamed Shahzan to 15 days in jail on Tuesday for violating a gag order banning public discussion of a documentary that alleged an affair between President Mohamed Muizzu and a former aide. The same court sentenced fellow journalist Leevan Ali Nasir to 10 days in jail on the same day.

According to Adhadhu, Shahzan was jailed after questioning Muizzu about late-night calls he had allegedly made to the former presidential aide. Nasir was jailed for reporting on the gag order itself, which was issued by the court at the request of prosecutors and published on the court's website. The order bans any direct or indirect discussion of the allegations, citing constitutional provisions protecting the right to reputation.

The case centers on a documentary titled Aisha, released on Adhadhu's social media accounts on March 28, which featured an anonymized interview with a woman who claimed to have had a sexual relationship with Muizzu, a married father of three. Police raided Adhadhu's offices in April over the release, seizing laptops belonging to journalists, marketing staff and administrators, along with hard drives and pen drives. Police also launched an investigation into Aishath Easha Ashraf, a former presidential office staffer, in connection with the documentary.

Two editors at Adhadhu, Hussain Fiyaz Moosa and Hassan Mohamed, face charges of "qazf," the false accusation of adultery or unlawful sexual intercourse under Islamic law, which carries a prison sentence of up to one year and seven months and up to 80 lashes. Their trial began behind closed doors in Malé on Wednesday. Adhadhu said the proceedings against Shahzan and Nasir were conducted in secret and concluded within hours, giving the journalists just two hours to find legal counsel and no opportunity to present a defense.

"The sentences are a punitive attempt to criminalise investigative journalism," the Committee to Protect Journalists said, adding that "The actions against Adhadhu constitute judicial harassment," and calling for the release of both journalists. The International Federation of Journalists also condemned the jailings. The Maldives Journalists Association said the sentences were unprecedented in the country's democratic history and that the gag order failed the constitutional tests of legality, necessity and proportionality.

"It marks another shameful chapter in the government's attempt to intimidate the press and silence public dissent," former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said.

In September, Parliament passed a media law that created a commission consisting mainly of government loyalists with powers to fine, suspend and shut down media outlets. Allies of Muizzu also overhauled the Supreme Court last year, removing three judges. Mohamed Hussain Shareef, spokesperson for Muizzu, rejected the characterization of the case. "Any attempts at portraying the criminal proceedings as an attack on free press are unwarranted and politically motivated," he said. "We strongly believe that a responsible, vibrant and free press is a cornerstone of our democracy," Shareef said.