Maldives rejects Western pressure over defamation bill

Malé / AFP

The Maldives brushed off warnings from Western governments on Monday that a new defamation bill risked undermining basic freedoms on the troubled honeymoon islands, accusing its critics of hypocrisy.
After a joint statement from Western missions urging President Abdulla Yameen’s administration to “return to the path of democracy”, the government countered that the same countries had their own legislation which limited freedom of expression.
“The Joint Statement seeks to advance a notion of freedom of expression that is in fact restricted in four out of the five countries which are signatories to the statement,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “These countries have criminalised defamation and have enacted such statutes. Similarly, 23 out of the 28 member states of the EU also have criminalised defamation.”
The reaction came after the United States led calls on Yameen to withdraw the bill, saying it gave authorities the power to impose severe penalties on people seeking to exercise basic human rights.