A new law introduced in the Maldives is a “direct attack” on free speech and the use of religion as grounds for doing so was “particularly worrying”, according to a UN human rights expert.
The Muslim-majority Indian Ocean nation’s parliament adopted the Protection of Reputation and Good Name and Freedom of Expression Bill on 9th August. The new law, under which the UN says transgressors can face fines with those failing to pay them facing prison sentences of up to six months, criminalises speech deemed to be defamatory, which is interpreted as being against “any tenet of Islam”, which threatens national security or which contradicts “general social norms”.
David Kaye, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, said the law criminalising speech “on such vague and broad grounds as set out in the Bill is a direct attack on the exercise of the right to freedom of expression in the Maldives”.
“Freedom of expression is a fundamental right and any restrictions on it must be narrowly and objectively defined, not a matter of common routine,” he said, noting that the law contradicted several human rights standards.
Mr Kaye described the use of religion as a ground for limiting free speech as “particularly worrying”. “International human rights law protects individuals from discrimination and violence based on their religion or belief, but it does not protect from comment or criticism religion or belief as such,” he said. “Moreover, limitations on expression based on morals cannot be derived exclusively from a single tradition or religion.”
He also raised concerns about restrictions placed on the media who face the threat of additional penalties.
Mr Kaye said he was eager to engage in discussion with authorities in the Maldives and said he hoped President Abdulla Yameen would reverse the decision by sending it back to parliament for further review.
The US has also described the bill as a “serious setback” for freedom of expression in the country.
