Yameen: Ready to work with Nasheed and Solih to restore press freedom

I am ready to work with former presidents Mohamed Nasheed Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to restore press freedom in the Maldives, says former Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

The declaration comes after two journalists were imprisoned on Tuesday, on charges of contempt of court for violating a gag order.

On Wednesday, Fayyaz Ismail, the former chairperson of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), wrote on X that the time had come for Yameen, Nasheed and Solih to set aside their differences and rise together to “save” the country.

When asked for a comment regarding the appeal, Yameen, who leads the People's National Front (PNF), told Sun that he was willing to work together Nasheed and Solih – both of whom belong to the MDP – in order to “restore press freedom.”

But he did not elaborate.

“This attack [on press freedom] is unacceptable,” he said.

Two journalists from Adhadhu, Mohamed Shahzan and Leeval Ali Naseer, were imprisoned on Tuesday on charges of contempt of court for violating a blanket gag order issued by the Criminal Court.

Shahzan was sentenced to 15 days in prison, while Leevan was sentenced to 10 days.

The gag order was issued in a criminal case against Adhadhu CEO Hussain Fiyaz Moosa and editor Hassan Mohamed on charges of making false accusations of adultery in a documentary the news outlet published on March 28.

The blanket gag order issued on Sunday explicitly prohibits any party from circulating the documentary, from directly or indirectly discussing the contents of the video, or making any comments linking any of the defendants or the victim with the documentary.

Both Leevan and Shahzan were accused of violating the gag order, Leevan with an article published regarding the issuance of the gag order and Shahzan over the questions he directed at President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Monday.

Shahzan was kicked out of the press briefing on Monday over the questions, and the President’s Office has banned ‘Adhadhu’ from all future press conferences.

Meanwhile, both Fiyaz and Hassan have travel bans issued against them, appeared at court on Wednesday for preliminary hearings in the case against them.

The Maldives Journalists Association (MJA), Transparency Maldives, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) have all expressed concern over the situation.

Nasheed, who has also condemned the crackdown on ‘Adhadhu’, urged people to join a demonstration planned for Wednesday night to protest against the imprisonment of journalists.

“I will be there too,” he wrote on X.

Noosverin hayyaru kurumaa dhekolhah kuraa ihuthijaajah mirey enme beyfulhun nukume vadaigathun edhen. Alhugandu ves hunnaanan.

— Mohamed Nasheed (@MohamedNasheed) May 13, 2026

In a post on X on Wednesday afternoon, Fayyaz accused President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of “hijacking the entire state” and violating his oath of office.

“We need to set aside differences and stage anti-government protests across the country to make the anger of the people heard. This is the time for opposition leaders, especially President Mohamed Nasheed, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, and President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom to rise up together and save this country,” he wrote.

“We are ready to do this with the three presidents without any hesitation.”