No, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu Was Not Attacked Inside the Parliament

The people in the video are Maldivian MPs Shaheem Abdul Hakeem and Ahmed Easa, not President Mohamed Muizzu.

Fact-Check: Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu was not attacked inside the parliament.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint) 

A video of a scuffle is being shared with the claim that Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu was attacked inside the parliament by the members.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: X/Screenshot) n

(Archives of similar claims can be found here, here and here.)

Is this true?: The claim is false.

• The individual assaulted in the footage is MP Shaheem Abdul Hakeem, not Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu. He was attacked by MP Ahmed Easa

• The altercation occurred on 28 January, stemming from a dispute over the selection of new cabinet members in the parliament.

How did we find out?: At first, we divided the video into multiple keyframes and ran a Google reverse image search on some of them.

• We came across a post on X by Malsha Shareef, Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Art of the Maldives.

• She posted a similar video on her account on 28 January.

• The caption accompanying the video read as, "MDP’s parliament member @MPahmedeasa is seen kneeling on MP Shaheem’s neck while he struggles to breathe."

• She added that it was a "deliberate attempt" to hurt Shaheem, who "could have died."

• The caption read that the Esa "has a long history of violence," amongst other things.

Here is a comparison between the two frames. 

(Source: Altered by The Quint) 

Why did the fight break out?: Taking a hint from this, we ran a relevant keyword search and came across news reports about this incident.

• According to a report by Al Jazeera from 29 January, the arguments began during a meeting convened to obtain parliamentary approval for four of President Mohamed Muizzu's cabinet ministers.

• The opposition members of parliament objected to the government's strategies, resulting in a physical altercation.

• Maldivian news organisation SunOnline wrote on 28 January that MP Shaheem thrown to the ground, resulting in a head laceration.

• Amid the turmoil, the opposition - the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) – which has the majority in Parliament, has collected sufficient signatures to present a motion for the impeachment of President Mohamed Muizzu, SunOnline said in another report on 29 January.

Conclusion: It is clear that the person being assaulted in the viral video is not President Muizzu, but MP Shaheem.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)