Reporters Without Borders Annual Report 2002 - Maldives
| Publisher | Reporters Without Borders |
| Publication Date | 3 May 2002 |
| Cite as | Reporters Without Borders, Reporters Without Borders Annual Report 2002 - Maldives, 3 May 2002, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/487c523ac.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has been in power since 1978. Named by the Parliament, which is made up of dignitaries of the country's main atolls, the President has the right to close down newspapers and have journalists arrested for publishing critical articles.
Freedom of expression is limited by several laws. A 1968 law forbids speeches and articles which are "hostile to Islam", "contrary to national security" or "offensive". Several journalists were imprisoned in the early 1990s in the name of this law. However, a few private publications on the Maldives do criticise the government. In addition, the governmental radio, The Voice of the Maldives, and the country's public television channel, do not hesitate to present points of view that are opposite those of the government.
