Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla, reporter for independent media outlet Minivan News, was abducted and forcibly disappeared after receiving repeated death threats from Islamic extremist groups linked to al-Quaeda, due to his journalism, personal blog, and social media account criticising religious fundamentalism and violent extremism. Despite ten years of advocacy and demands of action from the Maldivian government, no perpetrators have been held accountable for his death, leaving Rilwan’s family without justice.
Following his disappearance in 2014, Rilwan’s family and local Maldivian communities rallied, demanding the police and government to conduct a proper investigation. Due to concern at the lack of action, the journalist’s family produced a petition in September 2014, signed by 5,000 people pressing the government for action. Three suspects were arrested, however, all were released without charge due to reported negligence within the investigation and lack of evidence.
In 2018, then-President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih formed The Presidential Commission on Deaths and Disappearances (DDCOM), pledging justice for the families of disappeared bloggers and activists, including Rilwan. However, no official information has been made public in the years since, with newly elected President Muizzu dissolving the commission in June 2024.
Suspects detained by the Commission in 2022 were released in June and July 2023, with charges dismissed due to a ‘lack of evidence’. The Commission refused to make public an official account of the findings of their investigations, with the Criminal Court of the Maldives and the Prosecutor General both stating in late 2023 that the case would not be appealed, despite new evidence.
Regardless of the ongoing pledges made by President Muizzu’s government to release the DDCOM reports to the public, the family of Rilwan continues to wait for any official information about his disappearance and possible murder.
On August 8, IFJ and MJA joined the Association for Democracy in the Maldives and ten other media freedom and human rights organisations in the Maldives, in a joint statement calling for justice and transparency in Rilwan’s case. The statement calls for President Muizzu to publish the DDCOM reports with thorough auditing, and for the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives to conduct a public enquiry into Rilwan’s enforced disappearance.
The MJA said: “Rilwan's family has been chasing justice for a decade now. The complete impunity in this case and the shocking disregard and negligence by politicians, investigators and prosecutors continue to send a dangerous, chilling message to journalists in the Maldives. MJA demands complete transparency from all public authorities in publishing the findings of the commission and also demands a public enquiry without delay.”
The IFJ said: “On the tenth anniversary of Ahmed Rilwan's abduction, IFJ stands in solidarity with his family and demands accountability for his enforced disappearance. The repeated failures of investigations and the deplorable lack of justice underscore a severe breach of human rights and press freedom in the Maldives. IFJ calls on the Maldivian government and President Mohamed Muizzu to swiftly publish the DDCOM reports and ensure that those responsible are held accountable, delivering the justice that Rilwan’s family deserves.”