MALÉ — The Maldives Journalists Association (MJA) has filed an urgent case with the Maldives Police Service, calling for an immediate investigation and adequate security protection for a group of Maldivian journalists facing severe online harassment and coordinated smear campaigns.

The case, lodged in an official letter to Commissioner of Police Ahmed Mohamed, concerns journalists who travelled to the United Arab Emirates for a media tour organised by the UAE-based developer Eagle Hills in connection with the Rasmalé development project. According to the MJA, several actors on social media have circulated photographs of the journalists and produced targeted videos intended to incite hostility against them.

The campaigns have subjected the reporters to severe verbal abuse, with some branded as “traitors,” “Zionists,” and “Jews.” The harassment has also focused on the angle and manner of their reporting from Dubai and has escalated to serious threats of physical harm, injury, and death. The association said the escalating attacks have instilled deep fear among the targeted journalists and their families, creating a credible threat to their personal safety. It further noted that online harassment against media professionals had already been on the rise prior to the UAE trip.

In its filing, the MJA requested the police to treat the complaint as a matter of urgent priority, launch a formal investigation into the individuals and groups behind the smear campaigns, conduct an immediate security risk assessment for the affected journalists, and arrange adequate police protection for the journalists and their families.

MJA President Naaif Ahmed said no journalist should have to fear for their personal safety or the well-being of their families simply for doing their job. He described the circulation of reporters’ photographs, the branding of them as traitors, and the organised smear campaigns as a dangerous attack on press freedom, adding that disagreements over editorial stances must never cross the line into targeted harassment and threats. He urged the police to treat the matter with the utmost urgency, hold the perpetrators accountable, and ensure immediate protection for the journalists.

The association also called on all media outlets and editorial leadership to maintain a strict and transparent separation between sponsored content and independent news and commentary. Referencing the Journalists’ Code of Ethics, the MJA reminded media houses of their obligation to uphold editorial independence and clearly label sponsored or promotional material so that commercial arrangements do not compromise public trust or place working journalists in vulnerable positions.

The MJA reiterated its commitment to defending the rights and safety of media professionals and urged the public to refrain from actions that endanger journalists in the line of duty.