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Maldives jails two journalists for reporting on president’s alleged affair

Al Jazeera · · 855 words · By Al Jazeera Staff
Judicial independence Democratic Backsliding Press Freedom
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/13/maldives-jails-two-journalists-for-repo…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

13 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 7
schedule Pending 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
info Single Source 1
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“Maldives jails two journalists for reporting on president’s alleged affair”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (CPJ, Maldives Independent, and other web results) confirm the jailing of two journalists linked to a documentary about President Mohamed Muizzu's alleged affair/conduct.
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web search NEUTRAL — Rights groups condemn jailing of journalists for violating a gag order on allegations against President Mohamed Muizzu.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/13/maldives-jails-two-…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned the jailing of two Maldivian journalists linked to an investigative documentary about President Mohamed Muizzu, calling it an attack on press f…
https://www.newswire.lk/2026/05/12/cpj-condemns-jailing-of-2…
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web search NEUTRAL — 13 Under President Muizzu, press freedom the lifeblood of any genuine democracy is being systematically strangled. The recent jailing of two journalists from Adhadhu, Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Na…
https://maldivesvoice.com/2026/05/13/a-dark-chapter-media-fr…
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“Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Nasir [were jailed]”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources explicitly name Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Nasir as the journalists who were jailed.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an archipelagic country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean, near the southeastern boundary …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldives
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web search NEUTRAL — Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Nasir. Mohamed Shahzan (left) and Leevan Ali Nasir, journalists with news outlet Adhadhu, were sentenced to jail by a Maldives court on May 12, 2026, in relation to a ga…
https://cpj.org/2026/05/maldives-jails-2-journalists-over-do…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Criminal Court sentenced Adhadhu journalists Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Naseer to prison for 15 days and 10 days respectively.Shahzan was found guilty of contempt of court for questioning why …
https://maldivesindependent.com/news-in-brief/journalists-ja…
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“The journalists, who work for the news website Adhadhu, were sentenced by the criminal court in the Maldivian capital, Male, on Tuesday.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the journalists work for Adhadhu and were sentenced by the Criminal Court in Male on a Tuesday.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ali "Samuttey" Samooh (born 5 July 1996) is a Maldivian footballer who plays as a centre-back for Dhivehi Premier League club Maziya and the Maldives national team.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Samooh
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mohamed Muizzu (Dhivehi: މުޙައްމަދު މުޢިއްޒު; born 15 June 1978) is a Maldivian politician who is the 8th president of the Maldives, serving since 2023. He served as housing minister from 2012 to 2018…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Muizzu
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mohamed Nasheed GCSK (Dhivehi: މުހައްމަދު ނަޝީދު; born 17 May 1967), also known as Anni (Dhivehi: އަންނި), is a Maldivian politician and activist who served as the fourth president of the Maldives fro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Nasheed
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Shahzan received 15 days in jail and Nasir 10 days.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources (Sun, Atoll Times, Maldives Independent) confirm the specific sentences: 15 days for Shahzan and 10 days for Nasir.
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web search NEUTRAL — Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Naseer, both of them journalists at ‘Adhadhu’, were sentenced following closed-door hearings held on Tuesday. ‘Adhadhu’ CEO Hussain Fiyaz Moosa told Sun that Shahzan was…
https://english.sun.mv/105405
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web search NEUTRAL — Journalists Mohamed Shahuzan and Leevan Ali Nasir were sentenced to 15 days and 10 days in prison respectively.
https://atolltimes.mv/post/news/15916
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web search NEUTRAL — The Criminal Court sentenced Adhadhu journalists Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Naseer to prison for 15 days and 10 days respectively.Shahzan was found guilty of contempt of court for questioning why …
https://maldivesindependent.com/news-in-brief/journalists-ja…
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“The case centres on a documentary titled Aisha, which was released on Adhadhu’s social media accounts on March 28.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm a documentary titled 'Aisha' was released on Adhadhu's social media accounts on March 28.
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web search NEUTRAL — Adhadhu produced a documentary called "Skeelan", which is about president Mohamed Muizzu's stepmother. The documentary has been based on a false narrative according to multiple sources that came in de…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhadhu
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web search NEUTRAL — Adhadhu published the Aisha documentary on its X and Facebook accounts on March 28, six days before the local council elections and constitutional referendum of April 4. The documentary featured an in…
https://maldivesindependent.com/politics/two-adhadhu-journal…
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web search NEUTRAL — The documentary, titled “Aisha”, was released on 28 March.26 January 2026. 41 media outlets qualify for MVR 28 million state funding. The process was previously handled by the Ministry of Youth Affair…
https://atolltimes.mv/post/news/15869
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“It featured an anonymised interview with a woman who claimed to have had a sexual relationship with Muizzu, 47, a married father of three.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the existence of the documentary 'Aisha' is corroborated, the specific detail about an anonymized interview regarding a sexual relationship with Muizzu is not explicitly detailed in the provided evidence snippets, although the context of the 'alleged affair' is mentioned in the general claim 0 search results. The specific evidence provided for claim 5 consists of generic Netflix/IMDb lists which are irrelevant.
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web search NEUTRAL — May 1, 2026 · Netflix's robust documentary catalog is regularly restocked with the most interesting nonfiction films, with entries from around the world. Highlights this month include All the Empty Ro…
https://ew.com/movies/best-documentaries-on-netflix/
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web search NEUTRAL — A list of the best Documentary Movies and TV Shows, as ranked by IMDb users, like you. Find something great to watch now.
https://www.imdb.com/genre/documentary
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web search NEUTRAL — Home to the world's best documentaries -- from Academy Award winning classics and box office hits to festival darlings and cult favorites.
https://docplus.com/
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“Police raided Adhadhu’s offices in April over the documentary’s release, seizing the laptops of journalists, marketing staff and administrators along with hard drives and pen drives.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (RSF, Maldives Independent, and others) confirm the police raid on Adhadhu's offices and the seizure of laptops and hard drives.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Maldives is facing intense international scrutiny after police raided the offices of the independent online news outlet Adhadhu in the capital, Malé, seizing essential journalistic equipment and p…
https://owsa.in/maldives-police-raid-adhadhu-newsroom-slap-t…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Maldives Police Service raided Adhadhu’s newsroom on Monday night, confiscating equipment including hard drives and laptops, according to the organisation.
https://www.plus.mv/english/rsf-condemns-adhadhu-raid-calls-…
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web search NEUTRAL — That night, officers raided Adhadhu's newsroom under a Criminal Court warrant, seizing 20 laptops, hard drives and computers. The court imposed travel bans on Fiyaz and Hassan, freezing their passport…
https://maldivesindependent.com/politics/two-adhadhu-journal…
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“Nasir was jailed for reporting on the gag order itself, which the criminal court issued on Monday at the request of prosecutors.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm Nasir was jailed for reporting on the court's gag order itself.
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web search NEUTRAL — Leevan Ali Nasir speaks to reporters outside the Criminal Court on May 12, 2026. (Photo/Mohamed Shahzan). The Criminal Court has decided to hold closed-door hearings as two journalists were summoned t…
https://english.sun.mv/105391
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web search NEUTRAL — Leevan Ali Naseer was put in prison for 10 days reporting the release of the order on Sunday, Mohamed Shahzan for 15 days for asking President Dr Mohamed Muizzu a question. The court also handed down …
https://maldivesindependent.com/politics/two-adhadhu-journal…
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web search NEUTRAL — Leevan was summoned to court at 11:00am over a report relating to the issuance of the court order itself. Shahuzaan appeared before the court at 1:00pm over questions directed at President Muizzu duri…
https://atolltimes.mv/post/news/15912
help
“Parliament passed a media law in September giving a commission stacked with government loyalists powers to fine, suspend and shut down outlets”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm or deny the passing of a media law in September.
help
“Muizzu’s allies overhauled the Supreme Court last year, removing three judges”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm or deny the removal of three judges from the Supreme Court last year.
schedule
“69 percent of voters rejecting a government proposal on April 4 to align the presidential and parliamentary election cycles.”
PENDING
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“Two editors at Adhadhu, Hussain Fiyaz Moosa and Hassan Mohamed, also face charges of “qazf”, the false accusation of adultery or unlawful sexual intercourse under Islamic law”
PENDING
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“Police have also launched an investigation into a former presidential office staffer, Aishath Easha Ashraf, in connection with the documentary.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.