Overview

• The law is now in force and merges the Maldives Media Council and the Broadcasting Commission into a seven-member Media and Broadcasting Commission.
• The commission can suspend licences during investigations, block websites, halt broadcasts in progress and seek court-ordered licence cancellations.
• Penalties include fines up to MVR 25,000 for individual journalists and MVR 100,000 for outlets, and police can be dispatched to stop broadcasts deemed in violation.
• The Maldives Journalists Association says it will not comply, plans a Supreme Court challenge and is urging a boycott of commissioner elections under the Act.
• The government says the overhaul unifies oversight and ensures transparency, with the foreign minister noting private social media accounts are outside the law’s scope and digital storage devices are excluded, as rights groups and foreign missions issue sharp criticisms of the measure.