‘Adhadhu’ CEO Hussain Fiyaz Moosa informed Sun that Shahzan received a 15-day jail sentence, whereas Leevan was sentenced to 10 days.

He voiced worry that they were not afforded an adequate opportunity to defend themselves against the accusations.

Fiyaz and editor Hassan Mohamed are being charged with Qazf, an Islamic offense related to false claims of adultery, associated with a documentary the outlet published on March 28.

On Sunday, the Criminal Court imposed a comprehensive gag order that clearly forbids any party from distributing the documentary, from discussing the content of the video either directly or indirectly, or from making any remarks connecting any of the defendants or the victim to the documentary.

Leevan and Shahzan face accusations of breaching the gag order, with Leevan linked to an article concerning the issuance of the order and Shahzan due to the inquiries he posed to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Monday.

Due to the questions, Shahzan was removed from the press briefing on Monday, and the President’s Office has prohibited ‘Adhadhu’ from attending any future press conferences.

In the meantime, both Fiyaz and Hassan are subject to travel restrictions and are scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday for initial hearings regarding their case.