President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has ratified the Evidence Act on Monday.

The amendment bill for the Evidence Act was passed by the Parliament at the 22nd sitting of its second session on 30 June.

The amendment includes procedures that are to be followed in gathering evidence in civil and criminal proceedings as well as the submitting, accepting, and evaluating evidence.

With the new amendment, Courts can now mandate journalists to disclose their sources - a clause that Maldives Journalist Association has been voicing out against as it narrows the constitutional provisions of freedom of press and right to information.

The ratification of Evidence Act has been met with concerns and backlash over the administration's unwillingness to safeguard freedom of press in the Maldives.