Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Relations has begun reviewing the bill submitted by the government to criminalise acts of harm to foreign interests in the Maldives.
The bill submitted by Parliamentarian Mohamed Nihad was accepted by the Parliament of the Maldives with 45 votes in favour. As per the bill, damaging a national flag or symbol of another country and vandalising or calling to damage an institution or building belonging to another country can be classified as criminal offences. Furthermore, harming or calling to harm someone based on their nationality can also be classified as a criminal offence.
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has said the purpose of the bill is to define acts that harm the foreign interests of the country and to declare such acts as criminal offences in order to protect the foreign policy and interests of the country.
Earlier this year, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih issued a decree calling on relevant state authorities to stop the opposition’s India Out campaign activities. The decree was issued after the Parliamentary Committee on National Security Services concluded that the campaign threatens to undermine national security by creating animosity against a neighbouring country.