While the parliament passed an amendment bill to the Anti-Terrorism Act last Monday -after three extraordinary sittings during recess- President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is yet to ratify it.

Chief Communications Strategist at the President’s Office, Ibrahim Hood told RaajjeMV that it is not clear on when the president will be able to ratify the amendment bill, adding that he “will get back before Thursday.”

However, he later said that the bill is currently being reviewed by the Attorney General (AG) Office.

President Solih announced plans to amend the terrorism law, in September, “in light of alarming findings disclosed by an independent commission that probed the abduction of a journalist [Ahmed Rilwan] in August 2014.” Rilwan had been missing since then, and his where about remained unknown until the commission on September 1 revealed that he was murdered at sea by a local extremist group affiliated with al-Qaeda.

While some lawmakers had expressed concern over some of the proposed changes, the amendment bill was passed with 52 votes.

Despite the delay in ratification, the amendments were sponsored by the government.