Parliament re-agendas bill to criminalise genocide with severe penalties

A bill that would make genocide a criminal offence punishable by severe prison sentences has been re-agended in the People's Majlis. The first reading of the bill is scheduled for tomorrow's sitting. The bill was originally on today's agenda but was removed without explanation. The government-sponsored bill was submitted to the parliament by Maafannu Dhekunu constituency MP Abdulla Rifau (Bochey). The stated purpose of the bill is to criminalise genocide in line with international treaties to which the Maldives is a party. However, the wording of the bill has raised concerns that it could be misinterpreted to silence voices opposing Zionism and the sale of Rasmalé to a company linked to a UAE national with ties to Israel. The bill makes it a crime to directly and publicly incite hatred against any group defined by nationality, ethnicity, or religion. Under the new law, committing genocide would be a first-degree crime, carrying a basic sentence of 10 to 25 years in prison. Incitement to genocide by members of the public would be a second-degree crime, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The bill states that obeying an order from a superior or an act permitted by law cannot be used as a defence against these charges. It also explicitly states that no one, including heads of state, is exempt from these provisions.