Category: Society & Culture

Centre for Law and Democracy suggests Maldives failing to protect journalists

The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) has accused the Maldives of failing to protect journalists following recent attacks on media and the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan.

In an open letter to President Abdulla Yameen, the Canadian Human Rights NGO described Rilwan’s disappearance 55 days ago as fitting into “a broader pattern of violence and intimidation directed towards the media in the Maldives”.

“CLD calls on the government of the Republic of Maldives to do everything within its power to rescue Mr. Rilwan and to bring the perpetrators of this and other crimes against the media to justice,” wrote CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel.

Rilwan was last seen in the early hours of August 8 travelling home, just minutes before a man was seen being forced into a car outside his apartment.

The release of a private investigation’s findings into the case last week suggested that – among a number of possible lines of inquiry – gang-related abduction was a strong possibility in the case.

Police have since arrested four men in relation to the disappearance, though no specific theories for the disappearance have yet been forthcoming from authorities.

Police Commissioner Hussain Waheed and Attorney General Mohamed Anil were both sent copies of the CLD letter addressed to President Yameen.

Taking note of the “generally deteriorating security situation for journalists in the Maldives”, the letter suggested that the country was failing to live up to its international human rights obligations.

“International human rights law places an obligation on States to create an environment in which the media can do its job effectively,” wrote Mendel.

“This includes, where necessary, providing protection for the physical security of journalists and media outlets and ensuring effective investigations of attacks when they do occur.”

The police investigation has come under scrutiny from numerous domestic and international groups for its lack of progress, while the force itself labelled the recent investigative report  “politically motivated” and “irresponsible”.

President Yameen himself has also come under attack for his failure to comment on the unprecedented case of the 28-year-old’s disappearance, with the political opposition recently urging him to take personal charge of the investigation.

Reporters Without Borders has drawn links between the attack on the offices of Minivan News last week and the release of the report. A machete was left in the door of the offices after a well-known individual – named in the report – was seen tearing down the building’s CCTV.

Minivan News has since relocated its office for security reasons.

“Attacks on the media represent attacks on freedom of expression and indeed democracy itself, since they chill the broader public discourse and hinder the ability of members of the public to obtain accurate information about the country’s affairs.”

Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon last week joined international groups in condemning the attack on Minivan News as well as the threats received by journalists later the same day (September 25).

“Media freedom and freedom expression are fundamental human rights guaranteed under the Constitution of the Maldives and the human rights instruments that the Maldives is party to,” read the foreign ministry statement.

“At the ongoing Human Rights Council Session in Geneva the Maldives co-sponsored the resolution calling for the safety of journalist.”

Both Canada and the EU have since expressed alarm at the current human rights situation in the Maldives.

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Police arrest Imam of unauthorised independent prayer congregation

No additional reporting by missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan

Police have arrested a 34-year-old man for leading an unauthorised independent prayer congregation and delivering Friday prayer sermons at the Dharumavantha mosque in Malé.

The suspect was taken into custody on Tuesday night (September 30) on charges of “attempting to incite religious strife and discord,” said police, and leading prayers without authorisation from the Islamic ministry in violation of the Protection of Religious Unity Act of 1994 and regulations under the law.

“Despite being summoned to the police headquarters and being repeatedly advised and told to cease [leading the independent congregation], he gave religious sermons without permission at the Dharumavantha mosque and attempted to create religious divisions in the country,” police said in a statement yesterday.

The Criminal Court yesterday granted an extension of remand detention for five days.

“The Dharumavantha mosque is not among mosques designated in Malé for Friday prayers. And those delivering sermons and issuing fatwas there have not sought authorisation from the Islamic ministry,” police noted.

The case is under investigation by the police serious and organised crime department.

At a press conference on September 24, Home Minister Umar Naseer said efforts were underway to stop the independent congregation gathering at Dharumavantha mosque.

“Putting a stop to it is not just physically going there and stopping them sometimes with shields. Due to the nature of the [issue], we want to advise them, explain to them how it is in religion, and do all that,” Naseer told the press.

The Islamic ministry had summoned members of the separatist prayer group and conducted “one-to-one” counselling sessions, Naseer revealed.

“Unless all these efforts fail, we will not use the force of law,” Naseer said.

Religious unity

In February this year, the Malé City Council posted a notice on the Dharumavantha mosque stating that it would be temporarily shut down at the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs to stop unauthorised Friday prayers.

The prayer group has been described as “extremist” by Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed.

However, the independent congregation gathered for prayers the next Friday and prayed for God to destroy the government and for victory against the “irreligious” government that was attempting to “obstruct the spreading of Allah’s message”.

The Imam also prayed for God to destroy and send his wrath upon military and police officers who implement the government’s orders.

Despite the notice, the group continued to gather for prayers at the mosque and conduct Friday prayers every weekend at a time earlier than the time set by the Islamic ministry.

Local media reported last month that the Dharumavantha mosque’s Imam accused the government in a Friday prayer sermon of declaring “war” against the congregation.

A prayer was also offered against the government’s alleged efforts against the “true invitation” and for Allah to strike fear into the hearts of police and army officers who might be used stop the unauthorised congregation.

Under the religious unity regulations enacted in May 2010, permission and written approval must be sought from the Islamic ministry to preach, give sermons and issue religious edicts in the Maldives.

Scholars seeking a license to preach are required to have at least a first degree in religious studies from an institution recognised by the government.

In April, President Abdulla Yameen ratified amendments to the Religious Unity Act – which came into force mid-July – outlawing independent or unauthorised prayer congregations.

The penalty for violations of either the law or the regulations is a jail sentence of between two to five years.

A former member of the Dharumavantha mosque congregation told Minivan News in February that shutting down the mosque or arresting the members of congregation would be ill-advised.

“You can’t change what people believe using force. Under [former President Maumoon Abdul] Gayoom, I was arrested and kept in solitary confinement for weeks and sometimes months for praying in separate congregations and being involved with such groups. If anything, my convictions became even stronger and my thinking more radicalised,” he said.

Under the administration of former President Mohamed Nasheed, the government’s policy in combating extremism shifted to a rehabilitation model.

In 2010, President Nasheed decided to commute the sentences of 16 people convicted for their part in a violent confrontation between the security services and a separatist prayer group in Himandhoo.

More than 50 people were arrested in October 2007 after islanders donned red motorcycle helmets and armed themselves with batons and knives to defend the Dhar al Khuir mosque.

Police had been searching for suspects in the Maldives’ first Islamist terror investigation following a bomb blast in Sultan Park that injured 12 tourists.

Questioning the success of the appeasement or conciliatory efforts, however, Shaheem – who had earlier advocated for a similar model – had labelled it a failure.

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Allegations of ties between police and terrorist groups harm national interest, says police commissioner

Allegations of links between Maldivian security services and foreign terrorist organisation are false and intended to bring disrepute to the police and military, insists Commissioner of Police (CP) Hussain Waheed.

“The commissioner of police said no one who wishes well or wants a good future for the country would speak ill of the public and talk either in the Maldives or abroad in a manner that could render the country’s sound institutions powerless,” reads a news item published on the police website yesterday.

The CP argued such claims would not bring any benefit to the country, but instead harm national interest, adversely affect the economy, and incite unrest and strife among the public.

Allegations that damage national interest and threaten national security would be investigated, Waheed warned, and “necessary action would be taken.”

Waheed’s remarks follow former President Mohamed Nasheed claiming that the vast majority of Maldivians fighting in Syria and Iraq were ex-military.

In an interview with The Independent newspaper in the UK last month, the opposition leader warned that radical Islam was growing stronger in the Maldives.

“Their strength in the military and in the police is very significant. They have people in strategic positions within both,” he alleged.

Waheed meanwhile noted that police and army officers had sworn an oath to protect Maldivian sovereignty and ensure the safety and security of citizens.

“Therefore, neither the police institution nor the defence forces would do anything that could threaten national interest and cause harm to the people,” police said, adding that such allegations against the security services was “unacceptable”.

Following the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party’s claim in May that extremist ideologies were prevalent in the security services, the defence ministry dismissed the allegations as both “baseless and untrue” and intended to “discredit and disparage” the military.

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) meanwhile issued a press release on September 18 condemning Nasheed’s allegations in the Independent.

While police estimated that about 24 persons with links to militant jihadist organisations might be active in the Maldives, MPS insisted that none of them were police officers.

“And the police leadership has always been working to ensure that such people are not formed within the police,” the statement read.

As such allegations from a former president could incite fear among the public and damage the economy, police urged all parties to refrain from making false statements “to gain the public’s support, achieve political purposes, or win approval from foreign nations”.

“Islamist threat”

In his interview, Nasheed blamed an influx of Saudi Arabian funds for the conservative turn of Maldivian society in recent years and suggested that President Abdulla Yameen might tacitly encourage radicalism.

“President Yameen feels he can deal with the Islamist threat later but first he wants to consolidate power,” Nasheed explained.

“He has the Islamists with him and he can’t do away with them. He would deny that but I don’t see the government taking any measures against the Isis flag being displayed on the street and all the indoctrination going on. They have allowed the military to grow beards.”

“They are very short-sighted. Their thinking is that Islam has a lot of support and you can whip up more [political] support with religion.”

Nasheed warned that the government’s position was untenable.

“If you look at how at how Mosul fell – the top brass ran away because Isis had already infiltrated the rank and file,” Nasheed said.

“I have a feeling that our police and military are already taken. Eventually the Islamists will create havoc in the Maldives. I have no doubt about it.”

Last week, Nasheed suggested that radicalised gangs were behind the recent “atrocities” in the capital, noting that extremist religious indoctrination of youth was a relatively recent phenomenon in the Maldives.

The opposition leader claimed that many young men from criminal gangs were seen in a protest march held in Malé on September 5 with participants bearing the militant organisation Islamic State (IS) flag and calling for the implementation of Islamic Sharia.

Of the approximately 150 participants, Nasheed claimed most were “active in gangs.”

“So youth in gangs are turning to ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria] ideology. That activities of ISIS are happening in the Maldives is becoming very clear to us. And while this is happening, the government is unable to stop gang activities,” he said.

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Maldives’ human rights developments “disturbing”, says Canadian foreign minister

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has described recent developments in the Maldives as “disturbing”, expressing concern over the current human rights situation.

“The likely kidnapping of a leading local journalist and threats and attacks against other journalists, politicians and activists are particularly disturbing,” read a statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Baird subsequently labelled the legal action against the Human Rights Commission of Maldives – initiated in relation to a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council – as “unfortunate”.

He described the Supreme Court’s suo moto case – which continues today (September 30) – as “a decision that will not help to restore its credibility. Free speech must be protected, not trampled.”

Recent attacks on the office of Minivan News, the office of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), and the homes of MDP MPs have prompted international condemnation.

The Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs was joined by the United States and Reporters Without Borders in condemning the night of lawlessness in the capital Malé following the Minivan News incident.

Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon “noted that the government remains strongly committed to create an environment that gives protection to media personnel to exercise their duties freely and responsibly.”

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office was the first foreign government to officially register such concerns earlier this month in relation to a growing culture of death threats and the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan on August 8.

Baird has been notable for his strong statements regarding the Maldives in recent years, often resulting in criticism from the government.

A statement from the Canadian minister in 2012 regarding the alleged persecution of opposition MPs was described as “misleading” and “one-sided” by government officials.

Similarly, last year President Dr Mohamed Waheed wrote a letter of complaint to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, accusing Baird of making “inappropriate and derogatory remarks” towards then acting Foreign Minister Dr Mariyam Shakeela during a Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group meeting.

Concerned by extremism

“Canada is concerned by disturbing reports of increasing Islamic extremism and deterioration in the promotion and protection of human rights in the Maldives,” continued Baird’s statement yesterday (September 29).

“The government and judiciary must demonstrate a clearer commitment to dealing with these issues, including indications of domestic support for the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),” said Baird.

A number of Maldivians are reported to have been killed this year while waging Jihad in the Syrian civil war, while local groups marched through the capital this month waving the the ISIS/ISIL flag.

‘To hell with democracy’, ‘Democracy is a failed system’, ‘Shariah gave you the rights, not democracy”, ‘Shariah is the only solution’, read the placards of the 150 demonstrators.

Government leaders have spoken out against atrocities committed by ISIS forces in the Middle East as well as discouraging Maldivians from participating in foreign conflicts.

“IS is using the veil of religion as a pretext for inflicting terror, and committing violations of human rights,” said Dunya in August.

“Their philosophy blatantly violates the fundamental principles of peace, tolerance, and unity which are advocated by Islam, and their actions have tarnished the world’s perception of our great religion. A religion of peace and tolerance.”

Both former President Mohamed Nasheed and an independent report commissioned by the Maldivian Democracy Network have suggested radicalised gangs were likely to have been involved in the disappearance of Rilwan 53 days ago.

After Nasheed’s comments at an MDP rally last week, MP Eva Abdulla received a threat suggesting the next MDP event would be attacked by a suicide bomber. Threats sent to journalists last week warned against reporting on the continuing spate of attacks.

“This is a war between the laadheenee [secular or irreligious] MDP mob and religious people. We advise the media not to come in the middle of this. We won’t hesitate to kill you,” read one widely circulated SMS.

Nasheed has argued that the Maldives now represents a fertile recruiting ground for international jihadi movements, suggesting that the government’s inaction posed a serious danger to the security of the country.

Attempts to shut down congregations considered to be conducting unauthorised sermons, labelled “extremist” by the Islamic minister, have proved unsuccessful in recent months.

A Facebook page called Islamic State in Maldives promoting IS in the country was discovered last month, which shared photos of protests calling for a ban on Israeli tourists where protesters carried the IS flag.

Moreover, a new site called Haqqu and Twitter account sprang up recently featuring IS-related news and publications in Dhivehi as well as translations of a sermon by self-proclaimed Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Rilwan was one of the first journalists in the Maldives to write in depth about Maldivian jihadis, receiving intimidation from online groups as a result of his research.

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Nigerian quarantined in Hulhumalé has no symptoms of Ebola, assures health ministry

No additional reporting by missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan

A Nigerian tourist quarantined today as a precautionary measure has no symptoms of the Ebola virus, the Ministry of Health has said.

The health ministry and Health Protection Agency (HPA) briefed the press this afternoon following media reports of a Nigerian man taken from the foreign ministry in Malé to a quarantine facility in Hulhumalé by Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) officers in protective suits.

HPA Epidemiologist Dr Aishath Aroona Abdulla explained that the foreign ministry informed the health authorities because the Nigerian was “sick looking”.

“After inspection, the doctor at the Hulhumalé hospital said he did not have fever. He is not taking medication for anything at the moment,” she said, noting that the most important symptom of Ebola was high fever along with fatigue, headaches, and aching joints.

Dr Aroona said she questioned the patient and took his history at the Hulhumalé hospital.

“He told me that he did not have a fever or any symptoms, but said ‘I am sick because I have nothing to eat,'” she said.

As the Nigerian did not have a fever, Dr Aroona said there was no risk of people he came into contact with catching the Ebola virus.

“However, he will be observed for the next 24 hours to see if he gets a fever,” she said, adding that both the MNDF officers who transported the suspected patient and the doctor were wearing personal protective equipment.

As the Nigerian could not be considered an Ebola patient, Dr Aroona said samples would be sent to a laboratory in Pune, India for testing only if he exhibits symptoms of a fever in the next 24 hours.

Under protocols put in place in accordance with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, she said if he develops a fever the patient would be treated as a suspected case until the test results return negative.

The authorities had the resources needed to treat a suspected Ebola case, she said, adding that the patient would be released with surveillance if he did not develop a fever.

Precautions taken

The Nigerian was screened upon arrival in the Maldives and entered into the HPA database, revealed Dr Aroona, explaining that visitors from countries facing an Ebola outbreak were placed under surveillance if they had been in the country for 21 days, which is the incubation period for the virus.

While 109 individuals from countries where the virus has been detected have visited the Maldives so far, Dr Aroona said 78 were placed under surveillance, of which 27 were presently in the country.

The resort or guesthouse where the tourist is staying are told to inform the authorities if a guest exhibits symptoms of Ebola, she explained.

She noted that Nigeria and Senegal were “low-transmission” and “low risk” nations with no new cases reported in the past 21 days.

“It’s very unlikely for someone who has traveled to Nigeria to contract Ebola,” she said, adding that visitors from the country were placed under surveillance as a precautionary measure.

While the countries where Ebola was rapidly spreading were Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, Dr Aroona said there have been no visitors from any of these countries.

While passport holders from the three African nations have visited the Maldives, she noted that none had traveled to these countries for 21 days prior to arriving in the Maldives.

State Minister for Health Hussain Rasheed said the Maldives was following international best practices in accordance with WHO recommendations and efforts were underway to improve surveillance capabilities.

He appealed to the media to correct initial reports and provide information responsibly, noting that the Maldivian economy was dependent on tourism and could be adversely affected by alarmist news headlines.

Director General of Health Services Dr Sheeza Ali revealed that the Nigerian was in the Maldives on a tourist visa but had attempted to find work in the country.

“So we will be consulting with the immigration [department] and the tourism ministry,” she said.

The Nigerian arrived in the Maldives on September 13, she added.

Dr Aroona meanwhile said the incident would be reviewed to improve the process of isolating and testing.

The Nigerian had gone to the foreign ministry for “personal purposes,” Dr Aroona said, declining to reveal details.

According to the WHO, more than 3,000 people have died from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa while a total of 6,574 cases have been reported so far.

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Individuals named in MDN commissioned investigation file complaints

Individuals named as possible suspects in a Maldives Democracy Network (MDN) commissioned report into the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan have filed complaints with the Maldives Police Services.

“[I]ndividuals whose personal information was mentioned in a report by MDN have raised their concerns and some have filed cases with the police alleging that their personal safety & security is at risk and they are receiving threats,” police media officials told Minivan News today.

Ismail Abdul Raheem, accused in the report of having followed Rilwan in February this year and alleged to have attacked blogger Hilath Rasheed in December 2011, filed a complaint with the police yesterday, reported local media.

The investigation was conducted on behalf of MDN by UK-based private security firm Athena Intelligence and Security. The report concluded that the disappearance is likely to have been an abduction, involving local gangs.

Members of the MDN as well as friends and colleagues of Rilwan working with the #Findmoyameehaa campaign have also received threats in the 24 hours since the release of the report.

Gang members identified in the report circulated photos of MDN’s Shahindha Ismail and Rilwan’s family’s lawyer Mushfiq Mohamed on Facebook and asked for more details stating “These two need to be disappeared.” Meanwhile, Twitter accounts of Rilwan’s family members and friends are being circulated online.

The report confirmed evidence of possible “hostile surveillance” at the terminal conducted by two known affiliates of the Malé based Kuda Henveiru gang, naming one as Ahmed Shiran Saeed.

Rilwan was last seen on the 1am ferry travelling to Hulhumalé on August 8. Neighbours reported seeing a man being forced into a car outside Rilwan’s apartment at around 2am.

Citing a series of gang attacks against perceived secularists in June, the report said gang activity in Rilwan’s abduction to be a “strong possibility”.

The report noted increased radical activity among members of three main gangs in Malé – Bosnia, Kuda Henveiru, and Buru – and claimed gang members have participated in attacks against individuals they deem “un-Islamic”.

The report called on the police to further investigate the activities of extremist groups, gangs, and politicians in Rilwan’s disappearance.

The Maldives Police Service has yet to suggest any possible theories or lines of inquiry being followed, last week noting that no “concrete evidence” could be found between Rilwan and the  reported abduction outside his apartment shortly after his last sighting.

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Nasheed accuses Adhaalath leaders of radicalising youth

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has accused leaders of the religious conservative Adhaalath Party of radicalising and indoctrinating youth to carry out vigilante action in the name of Islam.

“Don’t do this to our youth. Don’t make them do all these vile deeds after picking them out individually and leading them astray,” the opposition leader appealed at a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) rally in Malé last night.

Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla is believed to have been abducted by a radicalised youth, Nasheed claimed.

“What he did was a crime, a very serious crime. But the person who convinced him to abduct Rilwan committed an even more serious crime,” he added.

A young person would not have been motivated to abduct Rilwan without indoctrination, the MDP president suggested.

“What I have to say to Sheikh Imran [Abdulla] and Sheikh [Mohamed] Shaheem is don’t play the role of satan in the guise of sheikhs,” Nasheed said, referring to the Adhaalath party president and Islamic minister, respectively.

The Islamic minister was not responding to calls at the time of press.

A private investigation commissioned by human rights NGO Maldivian Democracy Network has implicated radicalised gangs in Rilwan’s disappearance.

The findings of the investigation – conducted by Glasgow-based Athena Intelligence and Security – made public yesterday suggested that Rilwan was most likely to have been abducted.

Citing the abduction of several young men in June by a vigilante group in a push to identify online activists advocating secularism or professing atheism, the investigation report found gang activity in Rilwan’s abduction to be a “strong possibility.”

The abductions in June followed local media reports of a meeting between Islamic Minister Shaheem and youth groups who expressed concern over the harassment of Islam and the promotion of homosexuality.

Minivan News learned that individuals photographed in the meeting – and in a separate meeting with Home Minister Umar Naseer – formed part of the vigilante group that carried out the abductions.

Extremism

Nasheed meanwhile warned of the rise of Islamic extremism in the Maldives.

“It’s difficult to say ‘extreme’ Islamic principles. They are not Islamic principles. Islamic principles are not hard or soft. They are moderate. Islam is always moderate,” he said.

Islam was being misused for “undue advantage and political gain,” he continued, and youth were being made to commit “many vile deeds.”

“Harming people in the name of Islam, abducting people in the name of Islam, and killing people, I know for certain that – and you don’t have to be a religious scholar –  that is not how it is in Islam, that we all know Islam is not a violent religion,” he said.

Earlier this month, Nasheed told the Independent newspaper in the UK that the vast majority of Maldivians fighting in Syria and Iraq were ex-military.

“Radical Islam is getting very, very strong in the Maldives. Their strength in the military and in the police is very significant. They have people in strategic positions within both,” he alleged.

Following the MDP’s claim in May that extremist ideologies were prevalent in the security services, the defence ministry dismissed the allegations at the time as both “baseless and untrue” and intended to “discredit and disparage” the military.

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) meanwhile issued a press release on Thursday (September 18) condemning Nasheed’s allegations.

While police estimated that about 24 persons with links to militant jihadist organisations might be active in the Maldives, MPS insisted that none of them were police officers.

“And the police leadership has always been working to ensure that such people are not formed within the police,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, the MDP asked yesterday for police to investigate death threats made against its MPs and senior members, who the party said were also being followed.

MDP MP Eva Abdulla received a text message last night threatening a suicide attack during the next MDP gathering. The message threatened to “kill off” MDP members and to fight “to the last drop of blood.”

MDP MP Imthiyaz Fahmy told Minivan News earlier this week that death threats have become too commonplace to publicise each incident.

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HRCM responds to criticism from the education ministry over UN submission

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has responded to criticism from the Ministry of Education regarding the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council.

In a press statement released yesterday (September 21), HRCM denied the accusations made by the Education Ministry that the section on education had been based on an outdated 2008 UNESCO report, saying it had used a joint unpublished report by UNICEF and the Ministry of Gender and Family from 2009.

The Supreme Court has today initiated suo moto proceedings against HRCM members in relation to the document, while the President’s Office has this week suggested that some phrasing regarding the death penalty is misleading.

The HRCM said that the education ministry had been given the opportunity to comment on the draft of the UPR report but failed to make any recommendations.

“A draft of the report was sent to the high ranking officials of the education ministry on August 31 to comment on it. However, we did not receive any inquiries from the ministry on the validity of the data in the report nor did we receive any criticism of the report,” said HRCM.

The ministry has claimed, however, that the commission had chosen not to include information it sent in the report.

The UPR report states that, even though “corporal punishment is prohibited in schools, 8 percent of the students attending secondary schools have experienced violence perpetrated by teachers”.

The Ministry of Education argued that the statement was outdated and that no study had been done during the last six years to identify the changes in the education system.

In yesterday’s statement, the HRCM countered the argument by saying that the UPR is intended to evaluate the situation over the last four years and said that there are numerous studies which would validate the statement including the conclusions sent by international conventions.

The dispute over the report’s content comes at a time of an ongoing investigation by the education ministry and the Maldives Police Service into an alleged bullying case by a teacher at Imaaduhdheen School.

In the report, the HRCM also urged the government to pass the Education Act and to make concrete efforts to eradicate the disparities in the availability of educational services.

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Teachers’ Black Sunday protest prompts government talks, strike decision pending

Additional reporting by Zaheena Rasheed

The Teachers Association of Maldives (TAM) has completed a timeline with the government to meet the demands of teachers, ahead of a proposed strike this Tuesday

“The government’s decision to sit for talks and compile a timeline is a sign President Yameen himself attended to the teacher’s demands,” TAM President Athif Abdul Hakeem told Minivan News today.

“I am happy. We now have a way forward,” he added following association members again donning black today in what is being termed ‘Black Sunday’.

The Ministry of Education had earlier appeared unwilling to give in to teachers’ demands for higher pay and reform, while the Labor Relations Authority reportedly labelled the proposed strike as ‘not peaceful’.

“We will not increase salaries on request from certain groups. We are working on it not because teachers had demanded so. But teachers do request that it be expedited,” State Minister for Education Adam Shareef told local media.

TAM will now hold consultations with their committee and focal points in the atolls, Athif explained, before holding a meeting tomorrow night to decide whether they will continue or call off the strike.

A statement from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) noted that government was treating the potential strike as illegal.

“This commission has received information that the Labor Relations Authority has decided it cannot deem the strike planned by the Teacher’s Association of Maldives as one that is peaceful and within the parameters of laws and regulations,” said the government workers’ organisation

Black Sunday

Around ninety percent of teachers were reported to have demonstrated again today by wearing black to work after TAM members had pledged late last week to strike on September 23 should the longstanding grievances not be addressed.

A number of issues – which include revised pay, protection of teachers and students, and official recognition of TAM – have been raised repeatedly with the ministry claims the association, and are now said to be part of the agreed timeline.

Minister Shareef today acknowledged that poor communication was to blame for the current situation, but said he expected teachers to attend classes on Tuesday as discussions continued.

“O’ Level exams are to start soon. Parents and students are preparing for it. It will create huge concern if teachers decide to stop work during such a critical time,” he added.

The CSC noted today that the Constitution allowed for work stoppages as a form of protest, but that procedures outlined in the regulations on resolution of conflicts between employers and employees must be followed.

Speaking at a TAM meeting on Thursday evening, association president Athif pledged to strike indefinitely should the government not make adequate use of the talks.

“Once we strike, there is no turning back. The options are death or success. God willing, we will only stop once we have achieved success,” said Athif.

Opposition support

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has announced its support for the strikes should discussions with the government fail.

MDP Chairperson Ali Waheed told media today that, although the party did not want to see strikes, it would back a teacher strike should talks again prove fruitless.

“MDP very much wants for government to listen to their concerns and solve the issues through discussions, before this reaches a whole different level. MDP will stand behind all such protests,” said Waheed at a press conference today.

Meanwhile, MDP Parliamentary Group Deputy Leader and former teacher Rozaina Adam also announced her support for the proposed strikes.

“They have been asking for this raise from Maumoon’s administration, through Nasheed’s and Waheed’s administration and now into Yameen’s administration. It is with great sadness that we have to note that everyone has turned on a deaf ear to their pleas,” wrote Rozaina on her personal blog.

The Addu-Meedhoo MP expressed concern at the falling standards of the sector, noting that poor pay and working conditions were forcing good teachers away from the profession.

“I call upon the government as an MP, a parent and as a person who worked in the teaching profession, to hear out the teachers’ demands and find solutions for their problems,” said Rozaina

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