On 27 April 2026, Maldives Police stormed the offices of independent news outlet Adhadhu in a heavy-handed late-night raid. Armed with a court warrant, officers spent hours searching the premises and seized critical electronic equipment all because Adhadhu dared to release a documentary the President desperately wants buried.
LIVE: We are under raid. If you want to see what is happening at our office right now, we are live on Facebook. Please share and spread the word.
Watch here: https://t.co/840D5LktXq pic.twitter.com/sqDGirsYEv
— Adhadhu (@AdhadhuMV) April 27, 2026
This was not a routine investigation. It was a naked act of intimidation against one of the few remaining independent voices in the Maldives.
The documentary Aisha features a young woman who alleges she had a sexual and romantic relationship with President Mohamed Muizzu while working at the President’s Office, including claims of financial support. Muizzu has furiously denied the allegations. Instead of facing the claims through transparent public accountability, his government responded with raw state power: police boots in a newsroom.
Muizzu’s Systematic War on Media Freedom
The raid on Adhadhu is not an isolated incident — it is the latest escalation in President Muizzu’s deliberate, step-by-step strangulation of press freedom. Shortly after taking power, Muizzu pushed through the controversial Maldives Media and Broadcasting Regulation Bill widely condemned as the Media Control Bill. This law replaced independent regulatory bodies with the new Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission, a government-friendly watchdog armed with sweeping powers to punish, fine, and silence media outlets. Under this new regime, the crackdown has been relentless:
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The Commission ordered Adhadhu to withdraw its Volume 22 political cartoon and banned its circulation, claiming it violated “Islamic principles.” It even issued a formal warning to Dhauru simply for publishing a news article that included a photo of the cartoon.
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The Commission ordered Channel 13 to immediately stop live coverage of street protests organized by former President Abdulla Yameen’s People’s National Front (PNF).
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Police filed a case against an ordinary citizen for the “crime” of photographing President Muizzu in a Singapore shopping mall.
These actions reveal a clear authoritarian playbook: rewrite the rules to control the media, then weaponize vague laws, religious excuses, and police force to crush any criticism or satire. Opposition Leaders Condemn the Raid Opposition figures have hit back strongly against this assault on democracy:
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The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) described the raid as a “direct attack on press freedom” and accused the government of weaponizing the police to silence dissent.
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Former President Mohamed Nasheed and Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih condemned the action as a dangerous threat to democratic values.
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Senior MDP leaders, including Abdulla Shahid and Fayyaz Ismail, slammed the raid as an attempt to intimidate independent journalism and suppress uncomfortable truths.
- The Maldives Journalists Association (MJA) have also expressed concern over the police search. Journalists staged a protest outside the newspaper’s office as the raid was being conducted.
When a president uses police raids, travel bans on journalists (including Adhadhu’s CEO), content bans on cartoons, and orders to stop live protest coverage, he is not protecting the public—he is protecting himself from scrutiny. True press freedom dies the moment journalists are forced to behave as government propagandists. The moment they ask hard questions or expose allegations, the raids, warnings, and suppression begin. Under Muizzu, that moment has clearly arrived. This raid sends a chilling message to every journalist, editor, and citizen in the Maldives criticize power at your peril.
The erosion of media freedom is accelerating. If this continues unchecked, the Maldives will no longer be able to call itself a genuine democracy only a regime that wears democratic clothing while crushing dissent. Maldivian citizens who value freedom must resist this dangerous slide into authoritarian control before it is too late.
