Criminal Court issues death sentence in gang murder case

The Criminal Court of the Maldives yesterday sentenced Mohamed Nabeel to death for the murder of Abdulla Faruhad, after reviewing the statements of witnesses and finding him guilty of the crime.

The Judge said that article 88[d] of the penal code of the Maldives stated that murders should be dealt accordingly to the Islamic Shariah and that persons found guilty of murder ”shall be executed” if no inheritor of the victim denies the murderer to be executed, according to Islamic Shari’ah.

The Criminal Court identified the murderer as Mohamed Nabeel, G. Reef and the victim as Abdulla Faruhad of Hulhudhoo in Seenu Atoll. As no inheritor of the victim opposed his execution, Nabeel was sentenced to death.

This is the first such sentence to be issued in a case related to gang murder. Previous death sentences issued in the Maldives have included (in 2005) those found to be involved in the death in custody of Evan Naseem, and the perpetrators of 1988 coup. None of these sentences were implemented.

The Prosecutor General’s office filed the case against Nabeel after the police arrested him on charges of deliberately killing Faruhad in revenge for harassing his sister Aiminath Niuma. The case report did not mention what kind of harassment occurred.

The judge said that during the police investigation Niuma admitted that her brother Nabeel attempted to attack Faruhad with a six inch box cutter on March 8, 2009.

In her statement to police, Niuma said she attempted to stop her brother from attacking Faruhad as he tried to flee, the judge stated.

However Niuma was unable to control her brother from throwing the box cutter at Faruhad which lodged in his back. Faruhad died the next day from his injuries.

The PG’s office presented CCTV footage of the incident and three witnesses.

The judge said that although Niuma had later in court dismissed her statements to police, which were fingerprinted by her father as she was underage at the time, ”it is unbelievable that her father read the statement and would fingerprint a false statement given regarding his own son.”

Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said he did not know how the sentence would be carried out,  but police would implement the verdict if requested by the court.

Attorney General Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad said he had not yet seen the ruling and would be unable to comment before going through the case.

Press secretary for the president Mohamed Zuhair said the the government would comment on the matter only after the judicial procedure was over, ”otherwise it could be considered as an influence on the verdict.”

He said that the accused had a 90 day term to appeal at higher courts if he felt the judgment was unfair.

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that the last death sentence issued in the Maldives was following the 1988 coup attempt. This has been corrected to reflect the verdict in the trial over the death in custody of Evan Naseem.

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32 thoughts on “Criminal Court issues death sentence in gang murder case”

  1. "The death sentence is the first to be issued in the Maldives since the trial of perpetrators of the 1988 coup, a sentence which was not implemented."

    This statement is not true.

    The death sentence was given to the Police in charge of Maafushi jail when Evan Naseem and the rest were killed. But of course the sentence was not carried out, even when one parent refused the blood money. Today these people are at home...enjoying life. This is the sad state of our justice system.

    Thank you for pointing this out. The article has been updated and a correction issued. - Minivan News team

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  2. Does this mean that Maldives has lost hope for the rehabilitation of our youth, and the paternalistic attitude of older nations has finally caught on?

    Is this really the right answer? What if the real punishments for all the crimes seen and "unbelievable" to be denied are executed? Wouldn't that depopulate the entire country?

    What would be the cause of such rash reactions and violent behaviour? Why do the people from Malé dislike the people from the countryside, and vice versa?

    And finally, who is to blame here?

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  3. murderer's should be executed.. Behead in front of everyone.. Then those people who see it will step back and think a thousand times before killing someone..

    @Ahmed.
    What about the right of victim. Doesnt he has the right to live? We have already seen the people who have been given a chance to rehabilitate.. they finish the rehabilitation and are released to the wild and again get caught for killing someone else.

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  4. i just dont care about the rest... if one is found guilty of murdering another.. he is given a death and must be carried out. i hope this is a start to end the gang violence someday.. may god bless his soul

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  5. blood shed will lead to more blood shed. there will be no end to killings if the law starts doing it too. in Taxes where there was 300 execution in front of law there were 15000 murders meaning death sentence dose not work itself as reducing or scaring murderers.

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  6. Also in the case of the two Parteys who killed the Muslim Bangladesh expatriate. They too should be executed.

    they stabbed that guy because they couldnt steal his belongings ?

    Death for Death !

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  7. since there are no humane ways established to execute (kill) a person, i wonder how the Govt will kill Nabeel. Its sad that this is happening.

    And for those who think, this would ease the crimes in male and gang violence and killings, you could not be any wronger! because those psychopaths are not afraid of death.

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  8. Behead him. Only then would-be-murders will think twice before swinging knifes / cutters.

    Its no good when girls get whipped (for adultery) in front of a crowd, when death sentences cannot be executed (for murder).

    Either execute sentences or let them all go, if you dont have the cojones for it.

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  9. Ai - I am assuming you mean Texas as in a state in the United States. I have no idea what statistic you are referring to. There is no stat that supports the belief that the death penalty results in more bloodshed.

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  10. After reading some of the comments, the parable of the wise man, his son and the donkey comes to mind. One day, the father was riding the donkey while his son walked along by his side. They came across a group of people and they chided the father. "See what's happening these days! A strong man who does not care at all for his child? How can he ride whil his poor son walks! Then the father asked the son to ride the donkey while he walked. They came by another group who exclaimed, "See what the world has become now! A son who has no respect to his elderly father! How can he let his father walk while he rides the donkey!!" The father then said to the son, "Let's both ride the donkey." They came by another group who cried out, "See how cruel these people are!! Two strong men on the back of a poor donkey!! Don't they have even an atom of mercy in their hearts!!" The father then said to the son, "Well there's nothing left now except to carry the donkey on our backs and then we'll end up in a mental hospital."
    It would indeed be almost impossible to satisfy everyone. If another sentence was passed, the courts would be accused of leniency. Now that the maximum sentence allowed by law in this case has been given, the courts are to be blamed for being too harsh.

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  11. So.. how will he be executed? Hanging? Stoning? Beheading? Lethal injection?

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  12. Do we trust JSCs questionable re-appointment of judges?

    We hear too much about the illegal activities going on in JSC, and wait for answers.

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  13. if they kill him they are no better than the murderer. "an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind." -Mahatma Gandhi-

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  14. A government that licks European asses for medals would not dare carry out a death sentence.

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  15. A step in the right direction.

    None of us want to pay for the amenities and special treatment these murderers will recieve in jail.

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  16. Islamic sharia allows this punishments for the sake of the others also for the person who takes out the murder, to get him cleaned from the sin before he meets his loard. Nabil should voulentraly tell the judge that he wants get him self cleaned from this sin its a major sin. so he should have faith on Allah also his parents....
    pls read the sharia correctly it has lots chances if some body wants escape from the punishments but he will be cought in the day of judgment. islamic sharia & the made made laws are totally defferent so dont campare it with USA but check it with saudi arabia & othe muslim contries.
    even if the crime is reduced or not it is an obligation to rule as per the divine laws.

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  17. Whats the fuss about?? Just a little over a week ago the Maldives voted in favour of a UN resolution calling for a moratorium on death penalty with the ultimate aim of abolishing it altogether. While UN resolutions on abolishing death penalty are tabled every year this is the first time in history that the Maldives has voted in favour of such a resolution.

    So the decision President Nasheed will take on this death penalty issue is obvious.

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  18. Ah the good old death sentence carry it out buy all means if the accused is guilty by all means. Although I must say there must be consistency in the justice system, if they truly decide to carry it out it would be extremely controversial because for oblivious reasons of case history of our judicial system. I must say that today I am agreeing to this because I fear for my family the streets the society is not safe for them.

    I ask what about the child abusers and so on according to severity of the case some do deserve death, truly but the sharia law system interpreted shallowly undeveloped would not have the authority to carry out such a system.

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  19. To all who are against death penalty--- think logically about this. That is what the western world is teaching us right? to think logically although everything does not fit into logic. Well any way I will try to give a logical answer to this.

    GOD created us the human beings. So he would know us from A to Z, length to breath, every inch about us. Do you guys agree...YES...

    So HE would know what we would be really afraid of and what we would be really happy about...agree?? YES...

    Now, HE is saying to give the death penalty (ofcourse with enough evidence) to the killer so that it will be a warning to others so that they may fear to repeat the mistake by the killer. So do you think GOD was not aware of this western introduced methods of rehabilitation and all crap methods. Among the methods, he chose the best method for us...

    Well that was in the book right...lets see how much humans fear in practice. The most barbaric humans EVER seen in the entire human race are "Haamaan" "Firu Auwun" and "Gaaroon"..of the Moses times...There is a reason why their names are explicitly mentioned in the Quran. Do you think we could beat them in being barbaric? No never...But, when they approached their death, they too feared...they were afraid of the death...so this sends us a clear message GOD has chosen the best method for our peace and harmony.

    Whether to pardon or not, is entire upto the relatives of the victim.

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  20. What about the rest of the guys who were having a laugh torturing him and filming the whole thing?

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  21. The Qur'an legislates the death penalty for murder, although forgiveness and compassion are strongly encouraged. The murder victim's family is given a choice to either insist on the death penalty, or to pardon the perpetrator and accept monetary compensation for their loss. Allah knows best!

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  22. The judge said that during the police investigation Niuma admitted that her brother Nabeel attempted to attack Faruhad with a six inch box cutter on March 8, 2009.

    "In her statement to police, Niuma said she attempted to stop her brother from attacking Faruhad as he tried to flee, the judge stated."

    "However Niuma was unable to control her brother from throwing the box cutter at Faruhad which lodged in his back. Faruhad died the next day from his injuries"

    "The PG’s office presented CCTV footage of the incident and three witnesses."

    "The judge said that although Niuma had later in court dismissed her statements to police, which were fingerprinted by her father as she was underage at the time, ”it is unbelievable that her father read the statement and would fingerprint a false statement given regarding his own son.”

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  23. I am in no way supporting the heinous crimes of murderers but I don't agree with the death penalty. Its nothing short of state-sanctioned murder.

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  24. Oui Ahren! "Ah the good old death sentence"? Why the good old? Are you nostalgic? Do you have "good old" experiences with the death penelaty? If so when and where? Mind to englighten us?
    And O thelotuseater, what did this philosphy of Mr. Gandhiji achieve in the long run? O set loose every killer? My, my, shake your self a little bit, just a lil bit. Shake of that dust. Will you?

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  25. I dont think the state would have guts to execute him.

    Of course when it comes to 6-months-banishment for having a playboy magazine, and beating the shit out of wedlock-pregnant ladies, the judges would pounce on execution, as if it emphasizes and justifies they do earn their keep.

    What a hypocritic government!!

    Or else I suggest that we remove the "Law in accordance with Islamic Sharia" clause, since we are not following by the rules. At least then we can stay true to ourselves.

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  26. The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state. This cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment is done in the name of justice.The government should realize there is an organization called Amnesty International before carrying out this gruesome act.

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  27. @Unholy

    So this organization called Amnesty International seems to think that they speak for all humans across the globe.

    Pretty much like the extremist sheiks here.

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  28. @ Unholy

    "The death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It is the premeditated and cold-blooded killing of a human being by the state."

    So if you steal someone's house you should be left alone to use it as your own house?

    If the government tries to return the house to the owner, then the government is premeditating to steal it from you?

    What kind of backward logic you have there in you tweety brain?

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  29. Has anyone thought of the actual process of executing a death sentence instead of calling out death sentence everytime a murder occurs? There needs to be proof beyond a reasonable doubt which includes eye witnesse reports, forensic evidence, statements from relevant figures etc etc, NOT just a confession. Cases need to be reviewed again and again by independent authorities to prove the guilt. A system for executing the death sentence itself needs to be in place including how to kill the person? Firing squad/lethal injection/electric chair etc? Who does it? When and where? etc etc
    I dont think even one person in maldives can say that our judiciary has these systems in place and can carryout the sentence fairly and effectively. So how can we implement the death sentence?
    Im in favour of the death penalty, but i am afraid we just dont have the system in place to do it justifiably.
    May allah bless all the souls of the victims of these murders.

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