MDP slams lawsuit targeting opposition voices, political figures

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has expressed concern over charges filed in two courts against the party, its chairperson Fayyaz Ismail, and party member Mariyam “Mandhy” Zubair, alleging they made statements about a child of the First Couple.

MDP stated that these charges are being filed at the behest of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu by his wife First Lady Sajidha Mohamed to silence voices speaking out against the president's authoritarianism and to intimidation tactics against political parties and figures.

The main opposition party asserted that no child's name was revealed during their protest against the government. Specifically, they noted that recordings of the protest clearly show that Mandhy did not mention any child's name in her speech.

The statement highlighted that it was Sajidha Mohamed's lawyer, Azima Shakoor, who publicly exposed the president's son's name to the press, compromising the child's dignity. It also mentioned that Sajidha Mohamed had previously disclosed personal information about the child's private life to the press during the presidential election.

MDP clarified that their chairperson had not made any statements about the president's child anywhere. They noted that Chairperson Fayyaz had criticized how quickly institutions issued statements on Mandhy’s speech while remaining silent on major issues in the island nation.

As senior members of opposition People's National Front (PNF) are also being summoned to the Maldives Police Service (MPS) in connection with this matter, MDP stated that President Muizzu aims to file charges against anyone who opposes him to silence their voices. They assured that despite charges being filed for political purposes using family as a shield, the party will continue to stand against President Muizzu's authoritarian rule without hesitation.