Parliament passes Organ Transplantation Bill following significant amendments
The Parliament today passed the Human Organ Transplantation Bill with amendments proposed by the Social Affairs Committee, after the President had previously returned it due to implementation concerns. Key revisions include the removal of retributive justice and blood money for illegal organ harvesting, alongside a reduction in associated prison sentences and fines. Furthermore, a new provision has been incorporated into the bill strictly prohibiting individuals in state care and prison inmates from donating organs.
People's Majlis of the Maldives | RaajjeMV
The People’s Majlis has once again passed the Human Organ Transplant Bill, incorporating several key amendments following a review by the Social Affairs Committee. The legislation was previously returned to the parliament by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu for further consideration.
During Tuesday's parliamentary sitting, the bill was put to a vote for approval, incorporating the amendments proposed by the Social Affairs Committee following their review. The bill was passed unanimously, receiving the support of all 58 members present and voting.
This bill was passed by the 20th People’s Majlis during the 19th sitting of its first session for 2026, held on Thursday, May 14, 2026. Although the bill was submitted for presidential assent on May 19, 2026, the President has returned it to Parliament for reconsideration. The President cited concerns regarding potential implementation challenges arising from the amendments made to the bill during the parliamentary review process.
The bill previously stipulated that the removal of organs without consent or the performance of illegal transplants would be punishable by retributive justice in accordance with Islamic Sharia. Alternatively, the perpetrator would be required to pay blood money as prescribed under Islamic law, along with a fine ranging from MVR 250,000 to MVR 500,000 and a prison sentence of between 18 and 24 months.
However, during its meeting held on July 13, the committee amended the article to remove the provisions for retributive justice and blood money, while also revising the applicable fines and prison sentences.
Furthermore, the committee has approved a reduction in fines, proposing that the penalty for such offenses be lowered to a range between MVR 150,000 and MVR 250,000. In addition to the financial penalties, the committee has amended the bill to ease custodial sentences, setting the imprisonment period for such offenses at 12 to 18 months.
During the bill's review, members stated that these amendments were introduced because the President highlighted significant challenges in enforcing the penalties originally proposed in the legislation.
In this regard, the President noted that the non-consensual removal of organs and illegal transplantation constitutes an offense involving three distinct acts. He further highlighted that each of these acts may not necessarily meet the requirements for retributive justice under Islamic Shari’ah.
The President stated that the legislation, as previously passed by Parliament, left open the possibility for the implementation of retributive justice against offenders in a manner inconsistent with the established principles of Islamic Shari’ah.
Another significant amendment introduced to the bill is the addition of a new clause to Section 7(b). This provision stipulates that an organ donor must not be an individual under state care, nor a person suspected of a crime or an inmate currently serving a judicial sentence.
The committee unanimously passed the bill with the proposed amendments after the chairperson tabled the revised version for a vote. All members present at the meeting voted in favor of the legislation.
