Vice President Faisal Naseem has requested all journalists to remain impartial, and to practice writing authentic and genuine news with honesty.

The VP's remarks came during an event held to celebrate World Press Freedom day at the National Art Gallery on Friday night.

Vice President Faisal noted that the past few years had been quite bad for press freedom in the Maldives, and that there were serious threats surrounding the work of journalists. He thanked all journalists in the Maldives for having pulled through, and showing great professionalism through their work during this period.

Speaking during the event, the Vice President further noted that without a free media, a democracy would not be complete neither would a nation thrive. VP Faisal also stated that the current government would give their assistance in establishing a free media and contribute towards the smooth run of Maldives Media Council. As such, he noted that one of the first acts of the government was to revise the Defamation Law, which was one of the biggest challenges that freedom of media faced.

He further highlighted that the change in ranking for Maldives on the Press Freedom Index was a reiteration of the government's works to establish fully independent media in the country.

Describing the loss of Minivan News' journalist Ahmed Rilwan and blogger Yameen Rasheed as a great loss to the media, and added that we should not let their memory fade. He expressed his hopes of finding the culprits of the two cases in the near future, and finding closure for those deeply affected by it.