By Srijit Das
A video of a brawl at the Maldivian parliament is circulating with false claims that it shows Maldives president, Mohamed Muizzu, being assaulted in the parliament.
The claim further states that Muizzu was attacked for his anti-India stance which led to strained diplomatic relations with India including Indians boycotting the Maldives and in turn hurting the archipelago's tourism dependent economy.
BOOM found that the person assaulted in the video is Maldivian MP Abdulla Shaheem Abdul Hakeem and not Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu. The incident took place on January 28, 2024, following an argument regarding the appointment of new cabinet ministers in the parliament. According to reports, Maldives' main opposition party MDP will submit a motion to impeach Muizzu, following clashes that broke out in the parliament between pro-government MPs and the opposition.
The video went viral with a Hindi caption that translates to, "Maldivian President Mohammed Muizzu, was thrashed in Parliament. Maldives' economy has faltered due to India's boycott."
(Original Text in Hindi: मालदीव के राष्ट्रपति मोहम्मद मुझ्झू की संसद में कुटाई हो गई। भारत के बहिष्कार के कारण मालदीव की अर्थव्यवस्था डगमगा गई है।)
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Fact Check
BOOM ran a reverse image search on a keyframe from the video and found an X post by journalist Sidhant Sibal on January 28, 2024, where he uploaded the same video identifying the individual assaulted as Govt MP Shaheem.
We then performed a keyword search on X related to 'MP Shaheem' and found that the same video was posted by Maldivian minister Malsha Sharyf on January 28, 2024.
Sharyf posted the video and wrote, "MDP’s parliament member Ahmed Easa is seen kneeling on MP Shaheem’s neck while he struggles to breathe. This was a deliberate attempt to hurt Shaheem. He could have died. MP Esa has a long history of violence. His ex wife even filed a complaint against him for domestic abuse on her and it is also said that he tried to hurt is own child. Someone so violent shouldn’t be able to live freely."
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We also came across another post by Maldivian MP Ibrahim Shareef containing a close-up video with MP Shaheem's injuries after the attack.
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Maldivian news outlet Sun Online also covered the incident, stating that the Maldivian MP sustained head injuries during the altercation that occurred on January 28, 2024.
The report states, "Kanditheemu MP Abdulla Shaheem Abdul Hakeem was injured during violence that broke out between pro-government MPs and opposition MPs on Sunday over the approval of the cabinet. Mathiveri MP Hassan Zareer was also reported injured."
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Agence France Presse (AFP) reported that Maldivian lawmakers rejected the appointment of three cabinet members on January 29, 2024. The decision followed a brawl in the Maldives parliament which happened during the ratification process, resulting in MP Shaheem sustaining serious injuries.
