Revealing state secrets a crime under the Penal Code: MP Hisaan Hussain

Member of parliament for the Thulhaadhoo constituency Hisaan Hussain has stated that it is a crime under the Penal Code of the Maldives to disclose any information classified as state secrets.

MP Hisaan stated that it was against The Armed Forces Act (No. 1/2008) for officers of the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) to disclose information deemed secret to parties not authorized to be privy to that information. In addition to this, it is a crime under the Penal Code of the Maldives to disclose any information classified as state secrets.

MP Hisaan Hussain made the remarks while debating at the People's Majlis over the issue of Mihaaru News having published an article citing an "unnamed source" regarding the May 6 terror attack against Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed. Firstly, MP Hisaan noted the first issue as such breach of intelligence from within an entity empowered by the law to collect information for national security proposes. MP Hisaan added that under the Armed Forces Act, only certain officers of MNDF would even have access to the information, and that it was concerning that the information had found its way to the media.

Secondly, MP Hisaan noted that the institution responsible for providing security to one of the nation's most high-profile targets had exposed flaws in their s4ecurity detail by making the information public. MP Hisaan highlighted this as a breach that had placed former president and Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed's life at risk. Thirdly, MP Hisaan Hussain noted that any disclosure of information lassified as state secrets from MNDF presented a risk to national security.

MP Hisaan added that these were the reasons why the Parliament Committee on National Security Services was reviewing the case. She highlighted that the committee was not looking to identify the unnamed source for Mihaaru news, but into why and how the opportunity had been present to disclose classified information considered a risk to national security had been leaked as such. MP Hisaan added that the committee wished to seek out those who did this, and called for parliament to view this as their goal moving forward.

Further, MP Hisaan Hussain also stated that media would be answerable to independent institutions through the efforts of the parliament in this case, and called for the People's Majlis to consider doing so to fulfil their legal responsibility.