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Human rights in the Maldives, an archipelagic nation of 523,787 people off the coast of theIndian Subcontinent,[1] is a contentious issue. In its 2024Freedom in the World report,Freedom House declared the Maldives "Partly Free."[2] TheUnited States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor claims in their 2012 report on human rights practices in the country that the most significant problems are corruption, lack of religious freedom, and abuse and unequal treatment of women.[3]
The Maldives gained independence from theUnited Kingdom in 1965. The nation began its independent existence as asultanate, but a1968 referendum approved a constitution establishing the nation as a republic.Ibrahim Nasir,Prime Minister under the sultanate, becamePresident and held office from 1968 to 1978. He was succeeded byMaumoon Abdul Gayoom, who was elected President in 1978 and re-elected in1983,1988,1993,1998, and2003. At the end of his presidency in 2008, he was the longest serving leader in Asia. The national government generally exercised tight control over its people during this time.
The following chart shows the Maldives' ratings since 1972 in theFreedom in the World reports, published annually byFreedom House. A rating of 1 is "free"; 7, "not free".[4]1
Amidst Abdulla Yameen's time in office, accusations of human rights transgressions came to light, accompanied by the imprisonment of several opposition politicians, among them former president Mohamed Nasheed.[5]
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After acoup attempt by supporters of Nasir was uncovered in 1980, the government arrested those thought to be involved, and their wives and children were placed underhouse arrest. At least three people were sentenced for association with the former president, and at least one – Mohamed Ismail Manniku Sikku, the former Director of Civil Aviation – was banished to an uninhabitedatoll for "ten years and a day".[6]
The president considered responsible for the human rights gains in 2009–2010,[7]Mohamed Nasheed, resigned after weeks of protests led bypolice and was placed under house arrest.[8][9][10] He was replaced byMohamed Waheed Hassan, the former head ofUNICEF Afghanistan.[11]
Former president Yameen's government (2013-2018) employed an alarming tactic of leveraging broad and ambiguously worded laws to target, apprehend, and incarcerate dissenting voices. This strategy involves the misuse of counterterrorism laws against opposition activists and politicians, as well as the application of anti-defamation laws to suppress the media and social media activists who voice criticism against the president or his policies. Moreover, the government has imposed stringent limitations on assemblies, resulting in the prohibition or severe restriction of peaceful rallies and protests. These actions have raised concerns about the state of freedom of expression and civil liberties in the country.[12]
Freedom of religion in the Maldives is heavily restricted. The2008 constitution establishes Islam as thestate religion of the Maldives and requires all Maldivian citizens to beSunni Muslims by law.[13] It is illegal in the country to proselytize any religion other than Islam, and advocate for secularism (or theseparation of church and state).Apostasy andatheism are also outlawed and those who identify as or accused of being apostates or atheists are punishable by death according to Maldivian law (though unenforced ). They are oftentimes forced to attend religious conversion programs and are targeted by vigilante violence or attacks with little or no consequences for perpetrators by the authorities.
The Maldivian education system observes a strict interpretation of the Islamic religion. All state-run public schools and private schools are required by law to teach Islam from 1st to the 12th grade, with no secular alternatives.[14]
A report by the Maldivian Democracy Network published in 2016 investigatingradicalism in the Maldives, outlined the extremist ideas cited in textbooks, sermons as well as fundamentalist theology promoted in them, as well as radical ideologies prominent in the country was heavily condemned by the extremist religious establishment and disseminators,[15] ultimately leading to the organization being banned from continuing its operations without due process and forced into exile.[16][17]
TheMinistry of Islamic Affairs is the only body which grants licenses to imams, and sermons must be approved. They also control religious education and have the power to deport any non-Muslim foreigners. Non-Muslim foreigners are required to practice their religion in private.[7]
On 14 December 2011, a group of ten men attacked peaceful demonstrators inMalé calling for religious tolerance.SufiIsmail Khilath Rasheed sustained a skull fracture, and was later arrested as his calls for tolerance were illegal. No effort was made by the police to investigate or apprehend the assailants.[13] On 5 June 2012, Rasheed was stabbed in the neck.[18]Reporters Without Borders stated that it appeared that he had been deliberately targeted for his journalism.[19] A Maldivian government minister condemned the attack, but also added "Hilath must have known that he had become a target of a few extremists ... We are not a secular country. When you talk about religion, there will always be a few people who do not agree".[20]
Defamation and Speech "contrary to the tenets of Islam" is illegal.
The Maldives has a longstanding practice of employing criminal defamation laws as a means to suppress dissent. The implementation of the Anti-Defamation and Freedom of Expression Act in August 2016, the threats posed to the media and opposition critics escalated further. The act imposes significant fines for content or speech that is deemed to contradict Islamic tenets, jeopardize national security, challenge social norms, or infringe upon the rights, reputation, or good name of others during Yameen Rasheed's tenure.[12] The act was repealed by the Parliament on 14 November 2018.[21]
2008 saw the Maldives' first private television channels. In August 2010 private channelVilla TV was attacked, and journalists were attacked by police for covering a political protest in October 2010.[7] Opposition websites can be accessed in the country, but some Christian missionary websites have been blocked by theMinistry of Islamic Affairs.[7]
On 1 May 2011 two journalists – one fromHaveeru Daily and one fromSun FM – were arrested for covering a protest. They were released after 24 hours.[3]
On 16 September 2025, the Maldivian parliament passed a media regulation bill intended to "criminalizedefamation".[22] A government controlledmedia regulator will replace the existing independent regulatory commissions and grants the newly created commission the ability to charge steep fines against journalists and news outlets.[23] It was widely protested by domestic and international rights groups as an infrigement offree press. They argued that the vaguely termed bill could be a tool with which the government could silence dissent and independent reporting. The parliamentary majority leaderIbrahim Falah reportedly called for the impalement of journalists for "making defamatory allegations" against him while debating the bill on the floor of parliament.[24]
The constitution protects "freedom of peaceful assembly without prior permission of the State", and the U.S. State Department claims these rights are generally upheld.[3]
In July 2020,Human Rights Watch denounced the Maldivian government's recent enforcement of laws restricting protests and other gatherings, saying that the government's actions constituted a violation of fundamental rights. The government's decision to enforce the laws came in the wake of multiple protests staged during the month of July.[25]
Most judges have no formal legal training and are given much leeway in their interpretations of Muslim law.[13]
TheMaldives National Defence Force holds human rights courses.[3]
Flogging is a frequently imposed punishment, and carried out behind the court buildings.[13] 96 people – over 80% of them women – were sentenced to this mode of punishment in 2010.[3]
Arbitrary arrest and detention is illegal.[3]
At least fourmembers of parliament were arrested in July 2010. They claimed the detentions were carried out to force them to comply with political demands. They were released soon after.[26] On 16 August 2011 one of these MPs, Abdullah Yameen, was granted compensation.[3]
Gender based discrimination is generally illegal in the Maldives. Women have the right to contest local, parliamentary and presidential elections. The20th Parliament has 3 female members, as of September 2025. Women have an equalright to education and have a literacy rate 98%.[7] Women also outnumber men in higher education.[27] Despite this, women on average earn ~20% less than men.[28]Female genital mutilation remainslegal in the Maldives, but its prevalence has declined significantly in recent years. 13% of Maldivian women aged 15 to 49 report having undergone female genital mutilation.[29] The Maldives was 83rd out of 191 countries surveyed in the Gender Inequality Index in 2021.[30]
In 2011 four police officers were discharged from the force, but not formally charged, for driving a woman around Malé, forcing her to strip her clothes, sexually and physically abusing her, and throwing her on the street.[3]
LGBTQ rights in the Maldives are heavily restricted. Same-sex conduct is illegal with the proscribed punishments ranging from forced conversion to jail time and lashings (though this is rarely enforced). There are no organisations with a focus on LGBTQ advocacy in the country and existing rights groups generally refrain from LGBTQ advocacy.[31] A new penal code adopted in 2014 criminalized same-sex sexual activity andsame-sex marriage.[32] There were six cases in 2023 where individuals were investigated by the police for reportedly engaging in same-sex conduct.[31]
Migrant workers in the country have little worker protections and are not entitled to a minimum wage. The practice of witholding migrant workers' passports by their employers remains commonplace.
Disability rights
Disability rights in the Maldives are principally limited to discrimination protections. Equal access to education, healthcare, public buildings or transportation are not guaranteed by law for persons with disabilities. Most public places in the country are notwheelchair accessible. The government provides financial assistance for persons with disabilities, but due to strict conditions and requirements, many are unable to register. An estimated 10% of persons with disabilities have been subjected to various forms of abuse, according to NGOs.[31]
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