Prosecutor General (PG) Hussain Shameem has revealed the decision by the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services to penalise a media outlet over its reporting of the murder of a 13-year-old was lawful. In a blog post, the PG said legal restrictions prevent media outlets from revealing critical information on cases regarding minors in order to protect their privacy and dignity.
Shameem made the statement following public criticism of the decision to penalise a media outlet for its reporting of the case. He said media outlets are legally required to be unbiased in their reporting of cases involving juvenile criminals and are limited from publicising certain kinds of information in the case. He also assured the Prosecutor General's Office is heavily involved in the case and that the Maldives Police Service (MPS) is conducting a deep and thorough investigation, revealing the case involves charges of sexual offense, kidnapping, and murder.
A 13-year-old boy was found dead inside a suitcase abandoned at the seaside in Hulhumale' on June 22 after authorities began a search following reports that he was being assaulted. MPS stated the body shows signs of severe injuries and that arrangements have been made for a postmortem.
MSP has so far arrested a 27-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy over the case, and some media outlets have reported that the suspects were friends of the victim. The 27-year-old has been placed on remand for the rest of the investigation, while the 17-year-old has been given a remand of 15 days.