 Logo used since 2025 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Managing editor | Mohamed Saif Fathih |
| Founded | 29 November 2004; 20 years ago (2004-11-29) |
| Website | maldivesindependent |
Maldives Independent is a news outlet which is based in Maldives. It was conceived in 2004 as Minivan News but was renamed to Maldives Independent in 2015.
The outlet was first namedMinivan News ('Minivan' meaning Independent) founded by members of theMaldivian Democratic Party (MDP) on 29 November 2004.[1]
In 2014, the office of Minivan News was attacked following the disappearance of former journalistAhmed Rilwan, which was condemned by theInternational Federation of Journalists (IFJ) along withMaldives Journalists Association (MJA).[2]
On 31 July 2015, Minivan News was renamed to the Maldives Independent.[citation needed]
In 2016,Police entered the headquarters of the Maldives Independent. This was suspected to be related to theStealing Paradise documentary byAl Jazeera.[3]
In 2017, Maldives Independent was nominated for theFreedom of Expression Awards 2017 by theIndex on Censorship, which they won.[4][5]
In 2020, Maldives Independent suspended operations due to financial constrains and went on a five-year hiatus; it was re-launched in 2025.[6][7][8]