Day: October 8, 2012

MP Nasheed alleges criminal activities in legal profession

Kulhudhuffushi-dhekunu MP Mohamed Nasheed has criticised his fellow lawyers on his personal blog, alleging that they assist criminals in covering up crimes, work closely with gangs, and intimidate witnesses, reports local media.

A recent report by the Asia Foundation highlighted the strong links between politicians, businessmen and Male’s numerous gangs.

“Due to lawyers’ influence, people often refuse to provide statements, or wish to revise previous statements, or say that they do not wish to provide statements, or travel abroad to avoid the Court process,” he wrote.

Nasheed argued that recording conversations between lawyers and clients could alleviate some of these problems.

“I am not a criminal defence lawyer. However, when the sunset bill was made, I listened to senior members of relevant state institutions discuss ways to address the challenges faced due to crime in the society,” said Nasheed.

“One and a half years later, they are still discussing the same thing. This article was based on the information obtained from them,” he added.

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Prosecutor General receives corruption case involving STO Managing Director

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has forwarded a case to the Prosecutor General (PG) concerning the case of the Managing Director of the State Trading Organisation (STO) Ali Shahid, reports Sun Online.

It is alleged that Shahid used a corporate credit card inappropriately to pay for the medical treatment of a younger sibling.

The commission, it is reported, noted that the misuse occurred before the STO board stated that cards could be used in personal emergencies.

Shahid is alleged to have defended his use of the card under the STO’s loan provisions for medical treatments although the ACC claim he did not request this loan first.

Last month the ACC sent the PG a case concerning former Chairman of STO Farooq Umar after it was alleged he accepted a $19,000 (MVR292,800) from a Sri Lankan company.

Farooq also stands accused of using an STO corporate credit card for personal items.

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Nasheed’s arrest the “end of Maldivian democracy”: MDP

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has called for protests following the arrest of former President Mohamed Nasheed by masked riot police on Monday morning.

Nasheed was in the Dhoonidhoo island detention centre on Monday night, awaiting his trial on Tuesday.

“October 8, 2012 will be remembered as the day that democracy died in the Maldives,” said MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor in a statement.

“The reality is it has been on life-support since February, but today the plug was pulled and the lights turned off,” Ghafoor said.

Thirty-four members of the MDP’s National Council met following Nasheed’s arrest and declared that they would present information about Nasheed’s situation at 8:00pm on Monday evening, before calling for protests.

Nasheed defied a travel ban and multiple summons from the Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court, after his party disputed the legitimacy of the court and labelled the charges against him as a politically-motivated effort to sabotage the party’s southern atoll election campaign, and Nasheed’s candidacy in the next presidential election.

“There is huge contention whether Hulhumale’ Court has been granted powers by the law to try any case whatsoever,” wrote former chair of the committee that drafted the 2008 constitution, Ibrahim ‘Ibra’ Ismail.

“The Constitution says very clearly that trial courts will be defined and created by law. When Parliament created courts by the Judicature Act, there was no “Hulhumale’ Court” designated as a Magistrates Court. The Supreme Court itself is still sitting on the case of the validity of the Hulhumale’ Court. It was created by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), without authority derived from law,” wrote Ismail.

“Therefore the validity of any orders or judgements issued by this court is questionable, and the Constitution says no one has to obey any unlawful orders, ie orders which are not derived from law. Therefore, President Nasheed’s decision to ignore the summons has more than reasonable legal grounds,” he stated.

Ismail further noted that court summons were routinely ignored without consequence by political figures allied with the current government, observing that People’s Alliance (PA) MP and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ahmed Nazim had defied 11 summons before appearing in court over corruption charges.

“Impunity can only be matched by impunity,” Ismail stated.

“The outlook appears to be rather bleak. There will be chaos. There already is. It may worsen. And then, if we are lucky, out of chaos will emerge order. But what kind of order it will be depends on which paradigm wins. At this point in time, I would tentatively suggest it may be religious extremism.”

Morning arrest

Nasheed was arrested on the southern island of Fares-Mathoda, where he was reportedly scheduled to meet the Danish Ambassador, and was put on a speedboat bound for Male’ where he is due to appear in court on Tuesday.

Saleema Mohamed, a participant of the campaign trip, was inside the living room when the police entered the house, noted an MDP statement.

“They pushed their way in, hurting anyone inside the house. Minister Aslam asked them repeatedly to calm down and to not hurt anyone. He was saying: ‘this is my house’. The police shoved him and pushed him and he fell on the glass table and broke the table,” Saleema said.

According to the party’s statement, “the police forcefully entered Aslam’s house, barging onlookers out of the way. They used shields, batons as well as foul language at the people gathered near the house. Nasheed’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Naseem, and former Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair, were pepper sprayed by the police and violently dragged from the house, while the police also removed members of parliament from the scene.”

Police Spokesperson Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef earlier stated that “there was no trouble. Nasheed was very cooperative,” but was unable to confirm whether police had used pepper spray.

President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad said the office wished to “stay clear of this matter.”

“We have asked the Maldives Police Service to notify media of any developments. We know as much as the [media] about developments,” he said.

Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim has meanwhile launched a second case against former President Nasheed, seeking MVR 3.75 million (US$243,506) in compensation for defamation after Nasheed called him a “baghee” (traitor).

Nasheed’s lawyer, former Human Resources Minister Hassan Latheef, said Nasheed would defend himself by proving that the allegations were true.

US Embassy statement

The US Embassy in Colombo has issued a statement urging “all parties to find a way forward that respects Maldivian democratic institutions, the rule of law and the Maldivian constitution, as well as protects human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

“We urge all sides to remain calm, reject the use of violence and to avoid rhetoric that could increase tensions. It is our expectation that former President Nasheed be given every due process that the law allows,” the embassy stated.

“In response to statements that somehow the United States was involved in the detention of former President Nasheed, the Embassy strongly denies that claim,” it added.

“We note that all US law enforcement cooperation [with the Maldives] includes activities that focus on professionalisation and professional development of the police and places special emphasis on the need to adhere to international standards of human rights and the strengthening of democratic institutions and the rule of law.”

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Defence Minister launches defamation case against Nasheed over “traitor” allegations

The first hearing of a defamation case filed by Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim against former President Mohamed Nasheed took place at the Civil Court today, with MVR 3.75 million (US$243,506) being sought in compensation.

The hearing was attended by legal representatives for both Mohamed Nazim and former President Nasheed, who was today detained by police for a separate criminal trial over the detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed.

Nazim’s lawyer told the court that the defence minister’s good name and reputation had been affected by claims made by Nasheed, who had called his client a traitor during a public address at a rally following February’s controversial transfer of power.

Newspaper ‘Haveeru’ reported at the time that following Nasheed’s speech, a group of protesters came outside Nazim’s house and that it had “left Nazim’s family in fear”.

Former Youth Minister Dr Hassan Latheef attended today’s hearing to represent Nasheed, telling the presiding judge that the former president denied the charges against him.

Latheef told the court that evidence would be provided to support Nasheed’s allegations, adding that the former president would want to produce such evidence to the court.

The next hearing for the case is now expected to take place will held a week on Thursday (October 18) . The presiding judge also said that during the next hearing Nasheed’s lawyer will get his chance to respond to the charges.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed was arrested this morning after Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court issued an arrest warrant. The warrant was issued after Nasheed ignored court summons to produce himself to the court for the hearing of a case filed against him for ‘’unlawful’’ arrest of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed.

Nasheed was at Fresmathoda Island in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll campaigning for the next presidential elections when he was arrested.

Another case of defamation has also been filed by Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz at the Civil Court against Nasheed. A hearing in to the case was recently scheduled but before the scheduled time it was cancelled.  Local media reports say that the hearing was postponed upon Riyaz’s request.

Back in April, the Maldives Police Service had forwarded a case concerning alcohol bottles allegedly confiscated from the home of Nasheed to the Prosecutor General’s (PG’s) Office.

A source with knowledge of the case has told Minivan News that the PG’s Office had decided that evidence provided by police at the time had not been obtained under the required procedures and regulations.

The source who wished to remain anonymous, said the PG had requested that police resubmit the case with evidence that was “legally obtained”, if the case was to proceed to a criminal hearing – a request that had not been forthcoming so far.

Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizz was not responding to calls from Minivan News at the time of press for an official response.

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Police Integrity Commission Chair resigns citing institution’s failure to hold police accountable

Former head of the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) Shahinda Ismail has resigned from the Commission claiming “major difference of opinion” with other the reasons behind her decision to resign from the institution yesterday.

“For me, the commission is not heading in the right direction – when you look at the commission’s work of late, I didn’t feel it was working towards objectives stated in police act,” she said.

Article 19 of the Police Act charges the PIC with promoting police officer’s respect for law, to independently investigate any unlawful activities, and to enhance trust and confidence in the police.

“I don’t believe that sitting there would enable me to do anything good for this country,” said Shahindha, who questioned whether any of the country’s public institutions were helping the people of the Maldives.

“If police are allowed to act like this – there will never be an end to this,” said Shahindha who expressed her concern that repeated excuses made on behalf of the police will not bring an end to brutality or the abuse of power.

“What I’ve seen in the actions of institutions is that they have been giving a lot of space for the police to act with impunity.”

Shahindha’s resignation comes just days after the release of the second of three reports looking into incidents of police misconduct that surrounded February’s transfer of presidential power.

The recent report into instances of police brutality during the Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) February 8 protests, included an addendum with Shahindha’s opinions after she was unable to agree with the conclusions of her fellow commission members.

The main point of disagreement emerged over the legality of the police’s breaking up of the protests, and the extent to which senior officers should be culpable for the ensuing violence.

Shahindha stated in the report that she saw acts of police on February 8 to have been against the law, and that she observed no valid reason for police to have broken up the MDP demonstrations in the manner they did.

She also stated that the Assistant Commissioner of Police Abdulla Fairoosh and then Acting Head of Police Specialist Operations Department Ahmed Shameem must be held responsible for not having carried out the responsibilities of their posts in a sufficient manner.

The remainder of the committee said that the police acted within the contours of the law and that acts of brutality were the sole responsibility of individual officers.

Shahindha stated that she could not understand the reason for these differences of opinion as she had no access to any information that was not seen by the other commission members.

“I really wouldn’t accuse anyone of any political activity or anything specific. People just don’t see things the way I see them,” she said.

The PIC’s Vice Chair Abdullah Waheed was unavailable for comment when called today. Waheed requested to be called back but was not responding to further calls at the time of press.

Waheed told Haveeru today that he believed Shahindha’s resignation was due to her husband’s departure to study in the UK.

“Since middle of July, Shahindha kept saying that she would leave the Commission as her husband was leaving abroad… So her statement to the media that she was resigning due to divergence of opinion comes as a real surprise,” said Waheed.

Shahindha’s husband, Hussein Shameem, confirmed to Minivan News that he had left his post as Deputy Prosecutor General in order to pursue further education in the United Kingdom.

Asked about the timing of her resignation, Shahindha said that she felt a strong responsibility to continue on the commission, despite ongoing problems.

“I waited mainly because this is the most important event ever involving the police. I was there when the incident took place. I played a vital role – I believed it was my responsibility,” she said.

Although she acknowledged problems with the commission before February 7, Shahindha described a more stark change in the atmosphere since February.

“The commission is in dire need of capacity building and I hope the state can provide necessary funding in order for the PIC to bring out sound conclusions. It needs capacity building in terms of its investigations,” she said.

Shahindha had previously expressed her scepticism over the ability of the PIC to handle the magnitude of the investigations following the release of the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) report.

Despite finding that February’s transfer of power fell within constitutional limits, the report did acknowledge acts of police brutality and called for “assistance and encouragement” of institutions such as the PIC in order to increase “effectiveness and general performance.”

Shahindha stated that the Home Minister, who announced that the PIC would be tasked with investigating the abuses, was empowered to ignore PIC recommendations and had already done so.

Commenting on the arrest of former President Mohamed Nasheed this morning, Shahindha questioned the prioritisation of his case when cases of murder, rape and child abuse awaited trial.

Former Chairman of the MDP Ibrahim ‘Ibra’ Ismail has raised the same issue in a recent blog post, pointing out that there are currently over 2000 cases awaiting prosecution.

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Former President Nasheed will attend willingly if case is heard in legitimate court: MDP

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has condemned the Maldives Police Service for arresting former President Mohamed Nasheed today, terming it an ‘unlawful’ act.

MDP MP Ahmed Sameer stated that the police, who had demonstrated against being issued unconstitutional orders on the February 6, were now doing the same.

Sameer referred to Articles 155 and 245 of the Constitution of the Maldives and Article 53 of the Judicature Act, stating that the police were implementing an order which went against all three articles.

“There are slayings and murders happening continuously, but the focus is instead on politically motivated action against former President Nasheed,” Sameer said.

Sameer also echoed Nasheed’s legal team’s previous statement that there was a case to determine the legitimacy of the Hulhumale’ Court currently pending in the Supreme Court.

“We are saddened that the Supreme Court is continuing to stay silent on the matter, and is making no efforts to inhibit an unlawful order by an unconstitutional court,” Sameer said.

“Why doesn’t the Supreme Court take the initiative and transfer the case against Nasheed from the unlawful Hulhumale’ court to a legally established court? He would willingly attend then,” Sameer further stated.

The police have an ongoing investigation against Sameer which was submitted by the Department of Judicial Administration on September 12 accusing him of “creating public mistrust” towards the Supreme Court.

Former Chairman of the Constitutional Drafting Committee of the Special Majlis, Ibrahim ‘Ibra’ Ismail, has also published an article on his personal blog stating the reasons why the Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court cannot be considered a legal entity.

Ismail writes “[Hulhumale’ court] was created by the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) without authority derived from Law. Therefore the validity of any order or judgements issued by this court is questionable, and the Constitution says no one has to obey any unlawful orders, i.e, orders which are not derived from law. Therefore, President Nasheed’s decision to ignore the summons has more than reasonable legal grounds.”

Ismail further writes that no court has the power, under any law, to issue a travel ban on a person without ever summoning them to court.

He also stated that there was ample to room to believe that the courts were acting with a bias against Nasheed, owing to a number of other politicians and business tycoons who were repeatedly defying court orders and summons.

At Monday’s press conference MP Sameer and MDP Chairperson ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik called on the Minister of Home Affairs and seniors representatives of the Maldives Police Service (MPS) to not encourage the case to be carried out in an unlawful court by having the police obey its orders to arrest Nasheed and present him to the hearing.

The MPS has sent out a press release confirming that they have taken Nasheed into custody and that officers were now heading back to the capital with him.

MDP International Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor has also expressed concerns, stating he did not believe Nasheed would be allowed a fair trial.

“This is not about justice. This is a politically motivated trial to invalidate our candidate’s candidacy and to deliberately disrupt the MDP’s presidential campaign. We are in the largest voting centres and it is very clear who will win the elections. They can only win the elections by invalidating his candidacy. We are deeply disturbed by the developing situation. We do not believe he will have a fair trial.”

Meanwhile, President’s Office Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza has stated on his twitter: “After Tuesday morning either you are with us or with the enemy. There is no negotiation or middle ground after Tuesday.”

Riza made the statement on Sunday evening, while the Hulhumale’ Magistrate issued the arrest warrant to the police on Monday afternoon.

Parliament rejects motion against Nasheed’s arrest

Parliament has rejected an emergency motion put forward by MDP MP and Chairperson ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik against the arrest of Nasheed.

Speaker and DRP Member Abdulla Shahid stated that the motion was rejected on the basis that it concerned a case ongoing in the Supreme Court to validate the legitimacy of the Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court.

He referred to Article 149 of the Parliament Rules of Procedure which states that motions regarding cases ongoing in a court of law could not be accepted by the legislative.

Although Shahid stated that the Supreme Court was currently looking into the legitimacy of the Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court, Moosa Manik stated that the motion was not about the Supreme court case, but about a case lodged at an unconstitutional court.

MDP MP Eva Abdulla echoed Moosa’s statement, saying that since the Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court was established unlawfully, the arrest warrant for Nasheed issued by the court must be considered invalid.

The motion also spoke of the public outrage that Nasheed’s arrest and unfair treatment against him would cause.

Three magistrates presiding over Nasheed case summoned to Majlis Committee

The Majlis committee with the mandate to oversee work of the executive has summoned the three magistrates appointed to preside over the case against Nasheed regarding the arrest of Criminal Court Chief Justice Abdulla Mohamed.

The three magistrates, whose names have not yet been announced, have been asked to attend the meeting at 3:45pm on Tuesday. Nasheed’s hearing, meanwhile, has been scheduled for 4:00pm Tuesday.

The decision to summon the magistrates was reached in a closed-door meeting of the committee held Monday afternoon.

The committee has an MDP majority with six of their MPs sitting in it, in addition to two  members from the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), two members from Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and one member from the Jumhoree Party (JP).

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President Waheed returns to Maldives following US visit

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan yesterday returned to the Maldives with First Lady Madam Ilham Hussain after concluding a visit to the US.

The president, who has been in the US since late last month when he spoke during the meeting of the 67th UN General Assembly, was met upon his return by Vice President Mohamed Waheed Deen.

During an address to the UN General Assembly last month, President Waheed said his government’s dealings with powerful international actors since coming to office during February’s controversial transfer of power had “not been pleasant”.

“We believe that the story of the Maldives needs to be told. It is a lesson to be learnt by other small states. The application of the rule of law is to protect the smaller and the weaker; to prevent small justice being served to small states,” said the president at the time.

The comments were made at a high level meeting designed to reaffirm global commitment to the rule of law in order to further the UN’s goals of international peace, human rights, and development.

During the visit, Waheed also attended a Commonwealth’s Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) meeting that saw the country’s suspension from the international body’s democracy and human rights arm revoked.  However, the Maldives has remained on the body’s agenda under the item “Matters of Interest to CMAG”.

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Former President Nasheed arrested in morning raid

Additional reporting by Mariyath Mohamed

Masked police in gas masks and riot gear have stormed a house on Fares-Mathoda in Gaaf Dhaal Atoll and taken former President Mohamed Nasheed into custody.

The arrest follows the Hulhumale Magistrate Court yesterday issuing a warrant for Nasheed’s arrest and presentation in court on Tuesday October 9.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs Imthiyaz Fahmy and Ilyas Labeeb were also taken into custody, along with former Minister of Environment Mohamed Aslam.

An MDP source on the island told Minivan News the three were not arrested but had accompanied Nasheed voluntarily.

“They did not want to let him be taken alone,” said the source, claiming that 50 police were involved in the operation to break down the door and take the country’s first democratically-elected President into custody.

MDP Chairperson Reeko Moosa Manik said police broke down the door of the house and pepper sprayed the former President.

“Everybody was masked and in riot gear, and we couldn’t identify any of the police officers,” Moosa said.

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef confirmed that Nasheed would be returned to Male’ where he will be presented in court tomorrow.

Haneef said that Nasheed had been taken at around 9:45am.

“There was no trouble. Nasheed was very cooperative,” Haneef said, but was unable to confirm whether police had used pepper spray.

President’s Office Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza tweeted on October 5 that “After Tuesday morning either you are with us or with the enemy. There is no negotiation or middle ground after Tuesday,” however Minivan News is trying to confirm whether Riza was referring to the trial of Nasheed or last week’s murder of Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), Dr Afrasheem Ali.

Riza was not responding at time of press. However President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad told Minivan News that the government had not been contacted by any foreign governments or international organisations expressing concern over the detention of the former President.

“We have asked the Maldives Police Service to notify media of any developments.  The President’s Office wishes to stay clear of this matter,” he said. “We know as much as the [media] about developments right now.”
Masood added that he had been informed that despite allegations raised by the MDP concerning alleged use of excessive force to seize the former president, police authorities had said insisted that officers had acted with restraint.
“I’m told [Nasheed] asked for a box of cigarettes, a request that [officers] granted.  He was given Benson and Hedges as I understand,” Masood said.

Charges against Nasheed

The issuing of the warrant – exactly seven months after Nasheed’s ousting – follows his defiance of a court-ordered travel ban outside the capital Male’, and two court summons.

The MDP has disputed the legitimacy of the Hulhumale court and three-member panel of judges appointed to oversee the proceedings, and sought to appeal in the High Court.

The party today called on the Supreme Court to declare the Hulhumale Court illegitimate, and announced its intention to launch protests.

The specific charge against the former President concerns his detention of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, Abdulla Mohamed, during his final days in office.

Nasheed’s government justified the judge’s detention on the basis of national security, claiming he had “taken the entire criminal justice system in his fist”, and that the institutions mandated with keeping the judiciary accountable – the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) and Parliament’s Independent Commissions Committee – were politically manipulated by the former regime.

The state alleges that Nasheed violated Article 81 of the Penal Code, which states that the detention of a government employee who has not been found guilty of a crime is illegal.

If found guilty, Nasheed will face a jail sentence or banishment for three years or a MVR 3000 (US$193.5) fine, a sentence that would bar him from contesting future elections.

Former Minister of Defence Tholhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaan, Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Colonel Mohamed Ziyad, former Chief of Defence Moosa Ali Jaleel and MNDF Southern Commander Brigadier-General Ibrahim Mohamed Didi also face charges.

Nasheed and his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) reacted last week by rejecting the authority of the country’s lower courts, contending that the trial was a politically-motivated attempt to prevent Nasheed from running in the 2013 Presidential election.

The MDP said yesterday that the party was “deeply disturbed and worried” about the decision to arrest the party’s presidential candidate, “and produce him to a widely disputed court.”

“The MDP notes with grave concern the state proceeds to prosecute President Nasheed while the UNHRC, ICJ, CoNI report, Amnesty International, FIDH, other leading human rights groups and our bilateral partners have expressed deep concerns over the independence and competence of the Maldivian judiciary,” the party said.

“We are currently on presidential campaign trail by boats in the Southern atolls. This trip has been organized for months and immediately after the dates of the trip were announced, the courts decided to summon our candidate to a court that is unlawfully established. Leading experts and lawyers have questioned the legitimacy of this court,” MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor.

“This is not about justice. This is a politically motivated trial to invalidate our candidate’s candidacy and to deliberately disrupt the MDP’s presidential campaign. We are in the largest voting centers and it is very clear who will win the elections. They can only win the elections by invalidating his candidacy. We are deeply disturbed by the developing situation. We do not believe he will have a fair trial,” said Ghafoor.

Return to prison

Nasheed became the Maldives’ first democratically elected President in 2008, ending the 30 year rule of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Asia’s longest serving leader.

Under Gayoom’s rule Nasheed spent 18 months in jail, including long periods in solitary confinement, and was declared an Amnesty prisoner of conscience.

He resigned from office on February 7 after police and military officers joined forces with opposition demonstrators and assaulted the country’s military headquarters and state broadcaster. Leadership passed to his Vice President, Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan.

A Commonwealth-backed domestic inquiry in August concluded that the transfer of power was legitimate, however the MDP alleged key testimonies were overlooked and evidence dismissed.

The controversial transfer of power has resulted in months of political instability and a growing culture of violence and impunity in the Maldives, more famous for its upmarket tourist resorts and celebrity clientele.

A moderate Islamic scholar and MP of the government-aligned Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), Dr Afrasheem Ali, was stabbed to death outside his home on October 1, the country’s 10th murder this year.

Nasheed arrest follows the resignation yesterday of Head of the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) Shahinda Ismail, citing “major differences in opinion” with other PIC members.

A PIC report into police brutality during the February 8 crackdown contained contradictory findings, alleging that police action was justified by destruction of property. However Commissioner Shahinda disavowed the finding and stated that the police action was against the law as there was no evidence of illegal activity by demonstrators.

Shahinda’s husband, Deputy Prosecutor General Hussain Shameen, also resigned, claiming he was going to study for his masters in the UK.

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Former education chief calls for security review after being assaulted in street

Former Education Minister Dr Musthafa Luthfy has called for a review of security arrangements afforded to Maldivian politicians by police over fears of an increase in “orchestrated” political attacks in the country.

The comments were made after former education chief Luthfy, who has also previously served as Chancellor of the Maldives National University, claimed he had been struck in the face on Saturday (October 6) by an unidentified assailant on the island of Kanduhulhudhoo, Gaafu Alif Atoll.

Footage of the attack has already been posted on media sharing websites Youtube.

The attack, which did not result in any significant injuries to the victim, occurred less than seven days after Progressive Party of Maldives MP Dr Afrasheem Ali was found murdered by his home.

On Thursday, parliament’s ‘241’ Security Committee summoned both Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz and media regulator, the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) to discuss issues including the MP’s murder, politician safety and allegations that media organisations had been “spreading hatred” against MPs.

A recent report released by the Asia Foundation has alleged politicians and businessmen were paying gangs in the Maldives tens of thousands of rufiya to assault rivals, damage property, and in some cases have them killed.

While stressing that attacks on politicians within the country remained “rare” occurrences, Dr Luthfy claimed that it was the responsibility of police to ensure “order was maintained” across the nation amidst rising political tensions.

“It is rare that these sort of attacks happen, but the chance of similar incidents occurring in the future could be reduced by an increased police presence,” he said. “I accept there may be difficulty in getting sufficient numbers of officers onto different islands.”

According to Dr Lutfhy, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had registered a complaint with police after a male assailant appeared to punch him in the face whilst he was leaving Kanduhulhudhoo, where had had been campaigning earlier in the day.

He claimed that his attacker had been waiting around ahead of his arrival, before running up and punching him in the face and quickly escaping afterwards. Dr Luthfy said he suspected the attack had been planned beforehand, though he had not been made of any developments if the attacker had been found by authorities.

“The incident as I understand it has been caught on camera and shown I think on the Youtube website. Police should have hopefully seen this,” he said, adding that an official complaint about the incident had been sent to authorities.

“It’s a serious incident, the leader of our party has been calling against violence right now. Even after it happened our supporters were very calm. I know police went after the suspect, but they might not been able to get to him as he ran off.”

Dr Luthfy claimed that a number of similar incidents had been recorded by the country’s politician and could increase further with an intensified schedule of campaigning by both the MDP and government-aligned parties ahead of presidential elections expected next year.

Despite the growth in political tensions in the country during the build up and aftermath of February’s controversial transfer of power, Dr Luthfy claimed that fears of a potential increase in violence against MPs was unlikely just the country’s electorate venting their frustration.

“I think these things are very much orchestrated and organised,” the former education minister said. “We cannot go on like this, I was just walking in the street and get attacked.”

Dr Luthy pointed to an incident last week where a makeshift blockade was set up off the shore off the island Gemanafushi in Gaafu Alif atoll in order to block the arrival of a MDP vessel as a sign of increased tension and intolerance of rival political campaigning in the nation. One of the vessels was carrying former president Nasheed as he was travelling as part of a campaign tour of some of the country’s atolls.

“I think police should be present to minimise the chance of such incidents. There are a lot of tensions right now and if there is a lack of police presence, things can go wrong,” he said.

In the past, Dr Luthfy said that some parliamentarians have had to ask police for protection, reflecting an environment where MPs and senior politicians had been more free, or “complacent” in regards to their safety whilst being out in public.

“I think now that police should take the responsibility and try to be present during these campaigns just in case,” he said. “ Yes, these incidents [of attacks] are rare, but to try and minimise these incidents in future, I think a police presence would be a good thing.”

Both Commissioner Riyaz and Police spokesperson Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef were not responding to calls from Minivan News at the time of press.

Despite the former education chief’s claims, former President Mohamed Nasheed requested Thursday (October 4) in writing that his Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) security detail – provided under the Former President’s Act – not accompany him on a campaign tour. The MNDF later released a statement saying that it could not take any responsibility for harm that might befall the former president whilst not under its protection.

Nasheed’s decision was announced the same day Parliament’s ’241′ Security Services Committee summoned police chief Riyaz for an update into the investigation of MP Dr Afrasheem’s murder.

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party MP (DRP) Mp Ali Azim, a member of the security committee, told ahead of the meeting that the committee had hoped to try and establish whether there was evidence to suggest the attack was politically or religiously motivated.

However, both Azim and MDP Chairman ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik could not detail any outcomes of the meeting when contacted by Minivan News.

Aside from the ongoing murder investigation, media regulator the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) was also being summoned before the committee over concerns about the media’s role in spreading “hatred” about MPs in the country.

While accepting that the constitution called for the allowance of freedom of speech within the media, Azim claimed that there were limits, alleging that the national press were not being held sufficiently accountable for their work.

“The media has been accusing MPs of wasting taxpayers’ money; of suggesting not enough work is being done and saying that no laws are being passed,” he said. “I don’t think these accusations should be there. A few TV, radio and online media services has been accusing MPs of these things.”

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