Court Orders Secrecy Over “Aisha” Documentary Hearings, Bans Discussion To Public

The Criminal Court has ordered that hearings related to the “Aisha” documentary case be held in secrecy and banned any discussion of matters included in the documentary.

According to the court order, the video documentary linked to the case under litigation must not be circulated among the public. The court also instructed that any content or allegations presented in the documentary must not be discussed either directly or indirectly.

The order further states that no statements regarding either the accused or the alleged victim connected to the case submitted before the court may be disclosed publicly.

The Criminal Court said such cases fall under Article 42(n)(1) of the Constitution, relating to the protection of public morality and ethics, and therefore proceedings may be conducted confidentially rather than in open court.

As a result, the court ordered that documents submitted in the case, as well as information connected to the hearings, must not be published or distributed.

The court also warned that any act carried out in violation of the order could be considered contempt of court.

In connection with the case, defamation charges have been filed against the CEO of Adhadhu, Hussain Fiyaz Moosa, and the outlet’s editor, Hassan Mohamed.