Minister Ihusan Defends Limited Disclosure of Personal Information in Police Case

The government will not disclose citizens’ personal information in every incident involving public trust in the police, but may release limited information in sensitive cases to clarify facts, Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusan said.

Ihusan made the remarks in Parliament today while responding to a question from South Galolhu MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem about the disclosure of details concerning a student who died at a hostel and communications between the student and police victim support services.

Meekail asked what principles allowed senior government officials to disclose details of conversations and information exchanged between the individual and police victim support during a press conference on April 23.

Ihusan said citizens’ personal information is protected by law and that information relating to vulnerable individuals who interact with law enforcement must receive greater protection.

However, he said authorities considered it necessary to disclose limited information following the incident because false information had circulated widely on social media and among the public.

According to Ihusan, the reports led to serious allegations that police had ignored a vulnerable individual who had sought their assistance. He described the situation as an organised effort to undermine public confidence in the police.

The minister said maintaining public trust in the police is a responsibility established under the Constitution and the Maldives Police Service Act, making it necessary in that particular case to provide certain information to clarify the sequence of events.

However, Ihusan stressed that the government would not adopt the disclosure of personal information as a general practice in matters concerning confidence in the police.

He said authorities would exercise greater caution in future and ensure that any disclosure of personal information in sensitive circumstances remains strictly limited to information that is necessary.

Ihusan also said many countries have laws governing the extent to which personal information can be disclosed in such circumstances.

He said work is underway to draft a Data Privacy Act for the Maldives, which would establish clearer procedures for handling personal information once enacted.

Previous Disclosure of Private Information

The issue of government officials disclosing personal information has previously drawn public attention.

In November 2025, Islamic Affairs Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed apologised after disclosing personal details of a single mother who had publicly complained about not receiving Zakat assistance.

Shaheem said he had not intended to disclose her private information and had shared the details because he believed her allegations were false. The information reportedly included details of her salary, previous assistance and bank balance.

He later apologised, saying the disclosure was intended to demonstrate that officials had followed the eligibility criteria for Zakat assistance.