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Five democracy detainees, arrested after participating in the peaceful pro-democracy demonstration of the 12-13th August 2004, have been sentenced to another 30 days in solitary confinement.

Mohamed Shaaz Waleed, Abdul Rasheed Adam, Hussein Naseer, Mohamed Fauzi and Mohamed Iyaz – who have already spent over 100 days in solitary confinement, without charge, in Dhoonidhoo Jail – had their sentences increased in a midnight trial held in Male’ yesterday.

Mohamed Shaaz Waleed, 34, a known reformist, attempted to organise a reform debate in July 2004.

According to his relatives, police beat Mr Waleed up with batons and threw him down a flight of stairs in front of his wife and children during his arrest on the 13th August. Mr Waleed was then handcuffed behind his back and a policeman kicked his left hand, dislocating some of his fingers. Mr Waleed was only taken to hospital to treat his fingers on 18 September 2004 – over a month after his injury.

Abdul Rasheed Adam was arrested in early August 2004 with his brother Ahmed Adam for allegedly publishing ‘subversive material’. He was released on 12-13th August following demands made by the crowd in the August democracy rally in Male’. Mr Adam was re-arrested the following day, Black Friday, and has remained in Dhoonidhoo, under solitary confinement and without charge, ever since.

A family member of Mohamed Fauzi reported that he was so weak in court last night he had to be held up by two policemen as he was leaving.

The MDP has condemned the continued detention of the democracy campaigners. Speaking to Minivan News this morning, Mohamed Nasheed referred to it as “politically motivated, to influence the upcoming election by the regime”.

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The Maldivian Democratic Party has yet again voiced a strong appeal to the Maldives government for official registration.

Speaking to Minivan Radio the Party’s Co-founder and Councilor Mohamed Nasheed shrugged off suggestions that the government may cite administrative difficulties during the run up to general elections. “Should the government decide to allow our registration, it won’t need much paper-work. All our documentary submissions are with them. The constitution allows it. All that are needed remain the regime’s political will and quick decisions”, Mr.Nasheed said, adding that “in this case that would be remedial step to keep elections activities up to international standards while demonstrating the regime’s ability for functional transition in embracing reforms”.

The Maldives Elections Commissioner Ibrahim Rashad would announce the candidates list out of 156 applicants to contest in 20 constituencies on 30th November. Candidates are contesting as independents, “at a time there is a massive current of support for reform and political association”, in Mr. Nasheed’s words.

Reformists including the Maldivian Democratic Party continue to issue statements that the forthcoming general elections will not be free and fair. One central issue remains the registration of political parties. Mr.Nasheed said that the Maldivian Democratic Party was “organized, disciplined, with the system and structure to cooperate with the government in enabling political debates, rallies and conventions in an orderly manner”.

The elections are to be monitored by international bodies that will ascertain basic standards. Mr.Nasheed pointed out the added dimension of the Maldives parliament being signatory to the Inter Parliamentary Union that stipulates certain prerogatives for political association and assembly.

The British State Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth affairs Mr. Douglas Alexander echoed the international community’s concern stating that the upcoming parliamentary elections in the Maldives will be the test the international community will use to judge whether the Maldives President is genuinely committed to reform.

The European Parliament passed sanctions on Maldives after President Gayoom cracked down in August on the reform movement and a public rally, arresting hundreds. Since then the sanctions were put on hold after respective governments decided to allow a few months to Mr.Gayoom to make good on his promises.

In Mr.Douglas Alexander’s words, that time may soon be running out. “Without a free and fair election, the Maldives long-term stability and prosperity will be at risk”, he had stated in parliament recently.

“It is essential for the government to allow our registration which would be a huge indication of facilitating free and fair elections”, Mr.Nasheed said, adding that “it would not pose any problems or complications to the ongoing elections and reform processes. The fairness of these is paramount for posterity”.

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Hussein Ibrahim MP was summoned to the police station in Male’ yesterday. It has been reported that he was questioned about his role in the the peaceful pro-democracy rally of 12-13th August 2004.

Mr Ibrahim reportedly told the police what he saw at the rally but told them he did not know what exactly was said by each speaker in the demonstration but believed the demonstrators were unhappy with the government and expressed anti-government viewpoints.

Mr Ibrahim was released yesterday evening but was told he could not leave the country without prior permission from the authorities.

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UPDATE:

Sources in Male’ have stated that Mohamed Yousuf Fulhu & Susan Ibrahim Fulhu have been transferred from house to Male’ arrest along with IC, Falah and Ismail Asif. However, Ahmed Shafeeq and Mohamed Nazeer are thought to still be under house arrest in Male’.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

Five Black Friday detainees, arrested for their part in the peaceful pro-democracy rally of 12-13th August 2004, have been transferred from house to Male’ arrest today (28th November), reports from Male’ have confirmed.

The five men – IC, Falah, Ahmed Shafeeq, Ismail Asif, Mohamed Nazeer – were some of the last democracy detainees to be released from jail. Their release was thought to have been, in part, due to strong international pressure on the Maldivian government, particularly during the hunger strike in Dhoonidhoo Jail two weeks ago, in which the five were involved.

It was reported that all five released from house arrest today have suffered severe torture at the hands of the Maldivian government’s National Security Service (NSS).

Abdulla Rasheed (IC) for instance, was reportedly beaten up so badly during his arrest on 14 August that he had to be rushed to hospital, suffering from vomiting and temporary paralysis of his legs. Ahmed Falah was reportedly blindfolded, handcuffed and forced to squat while four police officers systematically beat him.

Ahmed Shafeeq, Member of the Special Majlis for Meemu Atoll, was charged on 15 November 2004 under article 50 of the Penal Code with reference to the archaic article 46 of the Code of breaching public peace in an unlawful assembly. The charge carries sentences of imprisonment for a term between one year and four years, or banishment for a term between two years and eight years or a fine not exceeding Rufiyaa 4000/-.

It is thought the reason for the MP’s long incarceration was because he was one of the three Members of Parliament who attempted to lodge a criminal case of treason against the Speaker of the Majlis for alleged violation of the Constitution.

Ismail Asif is reportedly determined to bring legal action against those who interrogated him in Dhoonidhoo. It is alleged that the police had the discretion to include or omit what they wanted from the statement they took from Mr Asif and the statement only included certain points made by him while other points he wanted the police to include in the statement were not included. It is further alleged that Mr Asif was then asked to sign the statement on the pretext that it was the detainee’s own statement given on his own free will.

Mohamed Nazeer, a prominent businessman, was arrested on 28 September 2004. It is thought that he has remained in prison for so long because he was not “co-operating with the investigation” which reportedly means that he refused to sign a confession for his ‘crimes’.

The Maldivian government is thought to still hold some 20 people arrested after the August protest including prominent religious figure Sheik Fareed.

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Minivan News spends 15 minutes with Tanya Husney (Taani), the former wife of democracy detainee Abdulla Rasheed (IC) who was transferred to house arrest this week after 100 days in solitary confinement. Taani was interviewed in her home in Colombo, where she currently lives with their ten-year-old son, Thaim.

1) Many Maldivians know you as an apolitical person but you have been active recently, campaigning for the release of the pro-democracy detainees. Why is this?

I’ve not been a political person before and I’ve never wanted to get into politics but now I feel that I have no choice. My closest family, people I grew up with, have all been taken to jail for doing nothing other than standing up for their beliefs and doing the right thing.

They have been imprisoned, tortured and made out to be criminals when they’ve done nothing wrong. I felt I had no choice but to stand up for them, I felt I had to do something right, not only for my family and friends but also for our people.

After Evan Naseem’s death I didn’t want to believe that all this torture was going on. I didn’t want to believe that Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, as President, would allow these things to happen in Maldivian jails. I just couldn’t believe it could happen. In my eyes Gayoom was the perfect President and I had a lot of respect for him. After Jenny Latheef was arrested and these reports of torture continued to come out I was forced to start thinking. After Black Friday – and watching the suffering my own child has had to go through because his father [IC] was arrested that day – I was forced to face reality and break out of my state of self-denial. I realised that we have no human rights in the Maldives.

2) Amnesty International and the Maldivian Human Right Commission have reported that many of the detainees have suffered gross human rights abuses whilst in jail. Who do you think should take responsibility for this?

Maumoon for one should take the blame. He is the President of the country and all powers are concentrated in him. Naturally he has to take the ultimate responsibility for what happens.

3) And I believe that you have heard of the abuse that your ex-husband, IC, has suffered?

Yes, I know with absolute certainty he has suffered. He was beaten so badly during his arrest that he had to be rushed to hospital, suffering from semi-paralysis in his legs, chest pains and breathing difficulties. This has been extremely upsetting for all of us, especially our ten year-old son. Normally IC will come to visit him here in Sri Lanka or at least calls him from Male’ but obviously he hasn’t been able to do this whilst he’s been in jail. Until IC’s transferal to house arrest this week, our son kept asking why Bappa had not been released, why Bappa was still there [jailed] when the other prisoners have been released. It’s been a very traumatic experience for him.

4) The Attorney General has publicly stated that he plans to press ahead with charging many of the August detainees. Dr Shaheed has said that the detainees were engaged in ‘mob violence’. Can you comment on that?

I’m amazed how blatantly our politicians lie. I just can’t believe they really think the Black Friday detainees are criminals, especially an educated man like Dr Shaheed. Where have they studied? More to the point, what have they learnt? People like Dr Shaheed, how could he turn a blind eye to the real truth and lie to the whole world? Everybody knows he is lying. When there is endemic corruption in the Maldives, when people are allowed to get away with torture, murder and rape – why doesn’t Dr Shaheed ever admit to or talk about that?

5) What future do you see for your country?

With this regime in power, I don’t see anything to be positive about. They will never be able change unless we, the people, stand up as we did on the 12-13th August and do something about this.

6) Are you advocating violence?

No. I’m a non-violent person, a Gandhian. There was no violence on the 12-13th demonstration except by paid sympathisers of the regime. I would never advocate violent protest but I fully support civil disobedience. We need to get out of this feudal way of thinking and realise that we have god-given rights and we must stand up for them.

7) If you could give a message to President Gayoom and his associates right now, what would it be?

My advice would be firstly, that the people you have detained are not criminals so let them go. Secondly, I would ask him to allow Maldivians the rights other people have, the rights people here in Sri Lanka have for example. I would ask him to allow free elections for President – not with just one name on the ballot paper – and allow us the freedom to speak and think what we like and the freedom to peacefully demonstrate. My advice would be to give the people their rights, which are enshrined in our constitution.

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Opposition MPs Mohamed Shihab and Hussain Afeef have been released from Dhoonidhoo Jail after being interrogated by the NSS.

The two MPs were summons to the police station in Male’ late yesterday morning and were then transferred to Dhoonidhoo Jail. They were released from the jail yesterday evening, reports from Male’ have confirmed. Both MPs – though no charges have been bought against them – have been told by the NSS that they are not allowed to leave the Maldives without prior government permission.

It has been reported that the NSS focused their questions on why the two MPs were present at the peaceful pro-democracy rally on 12-13th August 2004.

Sources close to Mohamed Shihab have complained of the political motivation for the MP’s arrests. It is thought that Mr Shihab was arrested because he was contesting for the Male’ seat in the upcoming parliamentary election and the authorities were concerned that he may be elected by the people of Male’. It is believed Mr Shihab’s arrest, even for a few hours, was an attempt to make detainee feel threatened as he pursues his campaign to get elected from Male’ next month as a reformist member of parliament.

As Mr Hussein Afeef’s was being arrested, it was reported that he asked the arresting police officer if “the Speaker had been informed”. Apparently unaware of parliamentary protocol, the policeman asked which speaker Mr Afeef was referring to. Mr Afeef explained that since he is a member of parliament the Speaker of the Majlis has to be informed if he is summoned to the police. The policeman, clearly baffled by this, said he didn’t know. Mr Afeef therefore refused to accept the summons chit.

It was reported that following this, the Deputy Commissioner of Police telephoned Mr Afeef and instructed him to come to the police station in Male’ and that the Speaker of the Majlis had been informed. After this, Mr Afeef went to the police station and was promptly transferred to Dhoonidhoo for interrogation.

Whilst there, sources report that Mr Afeef was questioned about his involvement in the demonstration on 12-13th August. Mr Afeef replied that he was with other MPs on the night of 12 August when the then Information Minister, Mr Ibrahim Manik, telephoned one of the MPs saying that the President had requested the MPs to go to the Republic Square to calm down the crowd. Mr Afeef told the police that he went there to calm down the crowd on the government’s request and that he shook hands with the Minister of State for Defense and National Security at the Square and a high official in the defense ministry and they did not tell the him to leave the square.

The police went onto question Mr Afeef about the other MPs who went to the Square on the 12th August but Mr Afeef responded by asking the police why they were only interested in the involvement of pro-reformist MPs at the demonstration when pro government MPs such as the MP for Haa Alif Mr Ahmed Nizam, the MP for Dhaalu Atoll Mr Ismail Zahir and the President’s Member of the Special Majlis Dr Fathin Hameed were also present. The police refused to comment.

Mr Afeef was then asked if he persuaded anyone to chant for the cabinet and the President to resign. He stated that he did not but the demonstrators did have freedom of speech as guaranteed by the constitution.

Mr Afeef went onto describe to the police that during the police baton-charge of the peaceful crowd, he saw a policeman beating up a 14 year-old boy with a baton. The police did not include this in Mr Afeef’s statement.

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