The government has announced its intention to introduce a bill to the People’s Majlis in order to guide and govern the implementation of the death penalty in the country.
“It is currently a punishment passed by the judiciary and a form of punishment available within the penal system of the Maldives,” said Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed.
“But for full guidance and matters governing the matter, legislation is required,” he added.
A meeting of the cabinet yesterday strongly condemned last week’s murder of MP Dr Afrasheem Ali and urged President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan to start taking immediate measures to ensure safety and security in the country.
President’s Office spokesman Masood Imad said that the government had received a large number of calls for implementing the death penalty.
“We are having enormous pressure since these high profile murders,” he said. “We have indications – the talk around the town – that there will be more murders.”
The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has this week proposed a no-confidence motion against the home minister, citing the unprecedented instances of murder and assault in the country since he assumed office in February.
Afrasheem’s murder was the 10th in the small country this year, sparking much debate on the death penalty.
Following the murder of high profile lawyer Ahmed Najeeb on July 1, two people were sentenced to death after Najeeb’s heirs opted for qisas (equal retaliation) rather than blood money.
Public outcry over Najeeb’s murder prompted Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz to declare that full enforcement of the courts’ rulings is necessary to maintain the effectiveness of the judiciary.
A case was submitted to the High Court in August, requesting that it annul the President’s ability to commute death sentences to 25 years imprisonment, provided in the Clemency Act.
Similarly, in April Ahmed Mahloof – parliamentary group member from the government-aligned Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) – proposed an amendment to the Clemency Act to ensure that the enforcement of the death penalty be mandatory in the event it was upheld by the Supreme Court.
In a comment piece written for Haveeru following Najeeb’s murder, however, Special Advisor to the President Dr Hassan Saeed warned that implementing the death penalty could be both arbitrary and prohibitively expensive.
Judiciary and human rights
The last execution in the Maldives came in 1953 when Hakim Didi was charged with attempting to assassinate President Ameen using black magic.
Since that time, the Maldives has retained the practice of the death penalty for murder although Islamic Shariah tenets also give the courts the power to pronounce capital punishment for offences such as sodomy, fornication, apostasy and other crimes against the community.
Statistics show that from January 2001 to December 2010, a total of 14 people were sentenced to death by Maldivian courts.
Jameel said that there was to be no re-consideration of the Clemency Act but that “necessary reform to legislation governing the criminal justice system will be undertaken by the government.”
Concerns over the judiciary were confirmed in the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI) report which investigated the events surrounding the resignation of former President Mohamed Nasheed in February.
The final report recommended that immediate steps be taken to improve the performance of the judiciary.
“The judiciary must enjoy public confidence and where there are allegations about judges’ conduct, the Judicial Services Commission must act in a timely and definitive way and report,” read the report.
Aishath Velezinee, formerly Nasheed’s appointee to the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), has said that corruption and an unreformed judiciary were the primary causes of crime in the country.
“Islam upholds justice, and not only has death penalty; it has very clear qualifications for judges too. Neither MP Mahloof, nor any of the Sheikhs, has expressed alarm that the judges are far below standard and some of them are convicted criminals themselves. This is pure politics and abuse of Islam,” she told Minivan News in a previous interview.
In July, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) said it was “deeply concerned about the state of the judiciary in the Maldives,” as well as calling for the abolition of the death penalty, in order to ensure the Maldives’ compliance with International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
After speaking with a Maldivian delegation headed by Jameel, the council released a statement saying that the state had acknowledged both that the independence of the judiciary was severely compromised and that the death penalty did not deter crime.
Today marks World Day Against the Death Penalty – organised by an alliance of more than 135 NGOs, bar associations, local authorities and unions seeking the universal abolition of capital punishment.
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Murderers should be murdered! Good!
Please implement ASAP
People who are cocked as a bat with cannabis and alcohol (refer the recent Asia Foundation Report on Gangs, while perpetrating such heinous crimes don't care two hoots about being put on the stake or being skinned alive! The long term solution for preventing such crimes would be to instill civilized values in our peoples. Now that can be done through education and providing better living conditions to the people of this country.
Velezinee! Right as usual!!! Those bloodlusty believers calling for capital punishment should also note that it says in the Holy Book...that Allah shall jugde us humans when before him with the same measure we jugded our co-humans!!!
Those who advocate death penalty are basically no less than actual murderers. It is revenge killing. If they think killing a murderer will reduce killing in the society this thought is baseless. People die every day in road accidents but have you seen people abandoning driving. The killers do not go and kill believing that he will get caught next day and will be killed by an executioner. A normal person is never emotionally fit to kill another person even in most cases when his life is in danger. The killers are abnormal people and they kill with various reasons that motivate them to kill, triggered by so many factors that change such people to abnormal people. This is the reason we are against this mafia bandits to be our leader who have no vision for the people. They have only one goal, treat people as animals and butcher them like cattle. We need educated visionary people to lead us who can cure diseases permanently by eliminating those evil forces that makes human to animals. Say no to Mafia gang and support democratic movement.
If there was a poll today in Maldives 99% will vote to implement this. It doesn't have to be Waheed did this or Anni would not have done this. Maldives has reached to the point where this form of detterence shall be implemented to stop the murder. The murders in Maldives is appaling compared to any other country in the world. We are talking about a small city less than 2km square where people are knifed in broad day light, where cameras are almost everywhere. There has to be a point to stop the madness somewhere.
Those who will advocate against the 99% of the population will get some recognition from abroad, but nothing here.
"President’s Office spokesman Masood Imad said that the government had received a large number of calls for implementing the death penalty."
What if the public makes numerous calls to the Presidents office for the President to step down will he take that seriously and step down. MDP with its more than 45,000 members could start calling the Presidents Office for him to step down. Will he take this seriously
The end of the road religious bigots who have graduated from the seminaries at the outskirts of Wazirustan, subscribe to the dogma that you short-circuit the process of dashing to heaven by killing an infidel. For them, a moderate Muslim is an infidel. These misguided morons are of the view that, in heaven you can continue satisfying your carnal desires with nerve-racking super models who gets re-virginized with each coitus for perpetuity!
With this kind of skewed thinking and attitude, one can be rest-assured that, no matter how harsh a penalty you impose, these fellas are not going to miss out on an opportunity to reach the heaven!!
@ Tic Tock
When you have a daughter or a mother who was de-re-virginized with many coits times by some gangsta and knifed infront of you (or something) will you then be able to have the same sentiment? This is not about killing for fun, this is about correcting a serious mistake. Not everyone will play by the rules. there are some who will kill and murder no matter what. Its this kind of ppl who shall be sent to their maker. got that bro?
glad to see some intelligent and critical thinking minds commenting on this. Implementing death penalty does not reduce murder rates. Surely Waheed of all people, should know this after all that time spent in the US and working for UN...?
Unbelievable!
This is a political ploy, a dangerous one at that. Compile a list of countries according to their crime rates, those with the highest crime rates,enforce the death penalty. A Stanford educated man must know that, but this one puts his alma mater to shame with his greed for ill gained power.
The death penalty has been implemented across the world for centuries and yet, I don't see murder being stopped.
Well, I guess if they want rivers of booze and honey along with numerous virgin women this badly, they wouldn't hesitate to do this. May I suggest a vote to see if Maldivians would like stoning and chopping of limbs for theft also to be implemented? I bet a large majority would want it to happen and therefore, Waheed should seriously consider it. Afterall, adultery and theft are still major problems in the country.
Reminds me of the hanging of President Saddam Hussain and Murder of President Gaddafi. It was no revenge it was very ethical and just they say. So who is next? Assad or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?
There is no such thing as an excessive or improper use of the death penalty. Half of our population are sinners and must be garrotted immediately.
Praise be that common sense and justice shall finally prevail and the MalDeviant shall finally have to fear the noose. Alhamdulillaah!
this is only the way forward to stop killing innocent people in day light.
Agree.... Stop killing innocent people
Salim Waheed's comments on this?
Hilarious really. Do you REALLY trust the judiciary to convict the right people? The Maldivian Judiciary is in its infancy. Half the judges are not qualified to be judges and most of you morons think they can be trusted getting a trial correct.
Be careful what you wish for. It may be you in court wrongly convicted of murder.
Uncanny. http://dhiislam.com/archives/59352
http://amnesty.org/en/news/death-penalty-decade-executions-are-wane-challenges-remain-2012-10-09
@wives and concubines
some people are still here in this Islamist baghee ridden country after the CoNi report, eh(ohhh! how i love to hear the word -Islamist)(where's LOL)
Anyways, you guys always criticize and mock the death penalty but never suggest the proper and absolute way to bring an end to crimes as heinous as slaughtering a human to death.
Certainly your minds are better than the Islamists(if that's what you claim as you don't believe in God)so tell me and tell the whole nation on how to rid the country of crimes.
if you're suggesting money is the solution, then sorry, we are in debt and that also in billions.we have a lot of corruption and theft here but the sharia law was never carried out.(if islamists suggest the cutting of fingers and limbs you people will call for human rights ignoring the rights of the people and their families being robbed.
if you're suggesting love and care for growing children, then also sorry because their moms and dads are at work 24/7 leaving them with sadist uncles and banghalhees.(if islamists suggest moms to stay at home and dads to work; then you people will talk about inequality and freedom)
if you're suggesting productive things to fill youths time, then also sorry cause our youth, as they are, think that free time should be fun time. They will do things like play bloody violence advocating games (mostly created by the USA)or watch music videos which non other than highlight sexual and bloody material(tell me one video which does not have this especially in Hollywood). Or they might even go to hard core heavy metal shows which only support being high with drugs and spin their heads until their ear drums fall(if islamists try to ban such kind of music and videos you people will call them fundamentalists and extremists trying to rid the country of their peoples freedom)
i can give you many many reasons but you people are the all knowing and wise so tell me your suggestions, will ya!!??
what i know is that the sharia law was never carried out here properly and wisely so who are you to criticize it. you don't even have the facts!!??
PS;what is with you and the 80 beautiful virgins, i don't get it kekeke???!!!
Ah yes; now hey are looking for a way to hang Nasheed. This man must really be a thorn in their side or a bee in their bonnet or a tick up their a**.
They do want to execute political leaders,who call for democracy,constitutional and "Human
rights"
People who don't want to believe what i am saying could go to this page ganjaabo Kula yellow or find the page and read it or see it.
All most every M.D.P parliament Member and there Presidential candidate and forcefully remove from office President Mohamed Naseed is also been hang on pitchers.
Truly the killers will be on the streets in male and will be back by the dictators.
street back
They have used crane lorry's and and other heavy load equipments use use inside customs to embark cargo.
we'd rather call it Revenge killing, where the dictator can sentence his political opponents, business rivals and foreign investors to gulp up his assets.
The sentence for bring a coup is death penalty. If the bill is passed we should try these traitors, when democracy is re installed.
@Shimy
That really did sound like a joke. You speak as if the death penalty would absolutely stop murder in the country. Like I said, it has been implemented across the globe for ages and yet, murder still takes place. There are numerous studies which provide lots of evidence that the death penalty is not a deterrent to murder or other types of violent crimes.
I hope you read a recent report about gangs in Male', which was published on many news websites. There were some problems highlighted there which needs to be solved for crime rates to actually go down. According to you, every young person is playing a violent game, and parents can't love their children because they are busy at work. Society doesn't teach kids to be independent and instead, many think that their parents are obliged to provide for them even after they are over 18. There are many jobs that these unemployed people could do. However, they all think numerous jobs are too 'low class' and they all deserve to sit in a CEO chair.
Many of my friends and even myself, had parents with full time jobs and we never turned out to be murderers because our parents took responsibility. What you're saying doesn't make any sense...that parents can't provide 'care' for their kids. Fix how children are being brought up and crime rate can be reduced. However, poverty will lead to crime, and a large number of Maldivians are in fact not in the middle class. Solving crime isn't as simple as beheading a murderer. Only a fool would believe so.
The Death Penalty must not be established in the Maldives, or anywhere else in the world.
Waheed, according to him, has 90% of the people behind him and surely this move will win him the remaining 10%.
I say implement the death penalty and go for a vote! Let's see how that goes.
What! with the state of the judiciary today...?
Somebody must be be out of his mind. This is the Maldives and we are Maldivians first. Furthermore, death penalty would not decrease murder rate. This is a bad move.
@wives and concubines
sigh,not surprised at something that came from a person who does not believe in anything but their selves.
And i don't mean the death penalty is the only solution but it should come with so many other things that is stated in our(i mean my) religion.(you people have a lot of misinformation about the religion and our prophet so it would be wise to research on it too)
So the facts are based on yourselves but believe me because of my profession i have met hundreds of children who blame their parents for not giving proper attention and time. They directly and indirectly got involved in crimes.
let's put it this way, if we carry out the death penalty on a drug addict who has committed several crimes,in innumerable amounts of times, which caused unjustifiable damage to people and property, then what advantage does the society gain from keeping him alive???
The penalty for a coup in sharia is death is it not?. Waheed and all the other perpetrators of the recent coup should volunteer themselves for the first round of hanging after we implement this law. Yes?
On a more serious note, I always feared that we'd head down this road with a democracy. The overwhelming majority of people here will support this (hence a lot of politicians will support it to boost their popularity as Waheed is obviously doing here) but I have no faith that the authorities will not abuse it to silence dissidents like they do in every other 3rd world hell hole. Further more, the fundies will see this as a major victory and will only push harder for further steps to turn this place into another Iran or Saudi. I'm almost beginning to think Maumoon wasn't so bad after all.
No faith in this judiciary..