Author: Ahmed Nazeer

Male’ City Council calls for release of Councilor Falah

Male’ City Council (MCC) has called for the release of Councillor Mohamed Falah, who is currently being held in police custody in Dhoonidhoo detention centre.

In a statement, the MCC alleged that Falah’s arrest was unlawful and politically motivated.

Falah was arrested along with 14 other senior members of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) on charges of obstructing police duty, objection to order and breaching police green zones on Friday (February 1).

In a statement issued at the time, police condemned the protest by MDP activists.

Police said that 15 persons were arrested near the party’s protest site at Usfasgandu after they allegedly attempted to breach its barricades. Police fenced off the site after the high court ordered it be repossessed pending a dispute over ownership between the council and government.

However, a protester who was present at the time disputed police allegations that demonstrators broke through police lines.

“We were just standing behind the barricades when they came in, we didn’t even move or run. We just stayed there, we didn’t even call them ‘baaghee’ (traitor) but we kept on telling them they should give a proper reason for arresting a person, they just can’t take people for no reason,” the protester told Minivan News.

Demonstrators kept questioning the police as to why they were making the arrests when none of them had crossed the police line.

“We kept on asking what the [the arrested protesters] had done. After taking in a few protesters, they came towards us and took [Youth Wing Leader] Shauna. They came towards her and said she had to come with them whether she liked it or not. Two to three of us were holding her when they took her,” the protester added.

The detained activists were presented to the Criminal Court on Saturday (February 2).  The court extended their detention by a further five days.

The MDP meanwhile alleged that the court did not even consider remarks made by the detainees’ defence lawyers during the hearing.

Ownership dispute

The Civil Court has previously ruled that the Usfasgandu land plot was under the jurisdiction of Housing Ministry and ordered the MCC to hand it over to the ministry.

The council refused and appealed the ruling at the High Court.

The MCC later appealed the High Court warrant to keep the area under police supervision until the court concluded the case.

Minivan News understands the Supreme Court has not yet informed the council if the case has been accepted.

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Criminal Court concludes hearings into terrorism charges against Shahum

The Criminal Court has concluded hearings into terrorism charges against Ibrahim Shahum Adam of Galolhu Couzy.

Spokesperson for the Criminal Court, Ahmed Mohamed Manik, said the court will deliver a verdict in the case on  February 24.

Shahum was charged with terrorism after he allegedly attacked a group of men with a sharp weapon in March 2010, March, near Maaziya football stadium in Maafannu Ward. He also stands accused of murder is a separate case.

One of the victims of in the Maafannu attack died the following day. He was identified by the police at the time as 17 year-old Mohamed Hassan.

The victim was admitted to Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital and was treated for more than eight hours in the intensive care unit, but the knife had severed a major artery and despite an emergency blood transfusion he died the following morning at 6:15am. He was was buried that afternoon at Aasahara cemetery.

A person familiar with the matter told Minivan News at the time that the boy was stabbed while climbing on to the back of a lorry after watching a football match held in the Maaziya football ground.

“He was with his friends on a lorry and about to leave when they were attacked by a group of people armed with stones and sticks,” the source said. “After a while they came close and stabbed him with a knife. Two other boys were also stabbed, one in the chest and another in the leg.’’

Shahum was previously sentenced to a year in prison for attacking a fellow student in an Imam course.

The Criminal Court has almost concluded the second trial against Shahum, concerning his alleged murder of 21 year-old Ahusan Basheer in 2011.

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Court delays Afrasheem murder trial after suspect unable to afford lawyer

The Criminal Court has delayed the second hearing into the trial of Hussain Human, who is accused of murdering MP Dr Afrasheem Ali for the sum of MVR 4 million (US$260,000).

The Criminal Court told the media that the hearing was cancelled as Humam was unable to afford a lawyer.

Spokesperson for the Criminal Court Mohamed Manik told Minivan News that the defendant has asked the state to appoint a lawyer for him.

Maldivian law obliges the state to appoint lawyers for those who can’t afford one when dealing with murder cases.

Manik said the court has not yet decided a date to schedule the next hearing.

‘’A date will be decided after discussion with police and the Prosecutor General’s Office,’’ he added.

During the last hearing the state attorney read out charges against Humam, who pleaded not guilty and requested the court to grant him the opportunity to appoint a lawyer for his defence.

The presiding judge then asked Humam how soon he could appoint a lawyer. Humam replied that he would have to speak to his family. He was given one week and the second hearing was scheduled for Thursday.

Attorneys representing the state told the Criminal Court that on October 1, 2012, Humam and a group of people attacked and murdered Dr Afrasheem Ali.

Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz has previously alleged that the murder of the MP for Ungoofaaru constituency was a well-planned murder worth MVR 4 million.

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Police arrest 153 people in ‘Our Peaceful Addu’ operation

Police have arrested 153 people in an operation dubbed “Our Peaceful Addu”, with the stated aim of reducing the crime rate in Addu City.

Speaking to the media yesterday at police headquarters, Head of Division Operation Command Chief Superintendent of Police Faruhaad Fikury told the media that the 153 persons were mainly arrested on alcohol and drug related charges.

Police said 120 people were released without any charges while 33 people were still in police custody, including two minors.

Faruhaad alleged police seized a large quantity of illegal drugs in Addu City during the operation, commenced on January 17.

According to Faruhaad, the cases included 71 related to alcohol, 43 traffic violations, and 39 other cases that were reported to police since the operation commenced.

Faruhaad told the press that police have so far searched 296 buildings across Addu City, and conducted 511 searches of individuals.

During the operation 702 vehicles were checked to see if they complied with traffic regulations. 14 vehicles were towed and 13 licenses were suspended, police said.

The division commander said police would conduct similar operations elsewhere in the Maldives.

In July 2010, a similar operation was conducted in Male’ to reduce the crime rate in Male’ City and make Male’ peaceful. Police arrested 60 people, most of whom were released without charge.

On December 4, 2012, during a press conference concerning the investigation into the murder of MP and scholar Dr Afrasheem Ali, Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz called on parliament members not to hesitate in giving more powers to police. Riyaz said at the time that such powers were required to curb growing criminal activity in Maldivian society.

“I know that members of the parliament are hesitant to grant more powers to the police because of the political views they hold. But we need stricter laws to stop such acts from happening. Hesitance to grant more powers isn’t a solution [to resolve] police discrepancies. Powers should be granted and at the same time they can establish a proper accountability mechanism,” he said at the time.

The commissioner said police would have “zero tolerance” towards criminals and would utilise all powers and resources at hand to prevent crimes.

“That means, we will not allow a drunkard to freely wander around the street. Police officers will question suspicious people on the road and they have been given the order to stop and search anyone who they feel is suspected of being a criminal or carrying out a crime,” he said.

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Police cordon off MDP protest site ahead of rally

Police have cordoned off the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s protest site at ‘Usfasgandu’ in Male’ ahead of a rally led by former President Mohamed Nasheed this evening.

The police action came after the High Court ordered police to repossess the area until it delivered a verdict concerning an ownership dispute between Male’ City Council (MCC) and the Housing Ministry.

The MCC , which leased the land to the MDP following the party’s eviction from their site near the tsunami monument, took the matter to court after the Housing Ministry ordered the Usfasgandu site be transferred to the government.

The Civil Court has previously ruled that the Usfasgandu belonged to Housing Ministry, and ordered the MCC to hand over the plot to the government.

However, the ruling was appealed by the MCC in the High Court, which today issued both an injunction on the Civil Court decision and an order that police should reclaim the land pending its decision on the rightful ownership.

The High Court writ issued today stated that the ‘Usfasgandu’ area shall be kept under police charge until the court reached a verdict on the case.  The court stressed that no one should use the land plot for any purpose until it had concluded the case.

The High Court warrant stated that its order was issued in compliance with the Supreme Court writ or prohibition number 2011/SC-SJ/04, which says that delaying implementation of a lower court’s ruling is a civil procedure to protect rights in appeal cases.

Speaking to Minivan News following the High Court’s ruling, Police Spokesperson Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef said yesterday’s request by the Housing Ministry to evict the MDP had been superseded by the new order.

‘’We are now beginning work to do everything we have to do in order to implement the High Court order that was issued today,’’ Haneef said.

The MDP released a statement labelling the repossession of the land as a “blatant prevention of the right to assemble and the right to freedom of expression.”

The eviction of the party from its second protest site would “escalate tensions amongst party grass roots and supporters as the court order coincides with a rally planned weeks ago to be held at the venue tonight,” the party stated.

“The move is also seen as an attempt to create unrest amongst peaceful gatherings to create a pretext to unleash brutal police action to intimidate dissenters of the usurper government,” the statement added.

“The MDP appeals for participation by all concerned in the party’s efforts in instituting urgent action to prevail upon alleged usurper President Dr Mohamed Waheed, to desist from continuing to violate and undermine the country’s constitution and in taking imperative steps to reconstitute democracy in the Maldives,” it concluded.

Site leased

Male’ City Council (MCC) initially leased ‘Usfasgandu’ to the MDP for three months back in March 2012, prompting repeated attempts by the government to reclaim the area on the grounds it was being used for criminal activity, including the practice of black magic.

The MDP moved a few dozen metres down the road to the site after a previous protest camp at the tsunami monument was dismantled and completely repainted by the police and military on March 19, 2012.

On May 29 last year, police raided the Usfasgandu site after obtaining a search warrant from the Criminal Court, ordering the MDP to vacate the area before 10:00pm that day. The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) then began dismantling the protest camp.

The Civil Court however issued an injunction ordering security forces to halt the operation after the MDP challenged its legality. The injunction was to stand until the court reached a verdict and was later upheld by the High Court.

In August 2012, the Civil Court ruled that the police did not have the legal authority to order the opposition MDP to vacate the area. The government has since tried to transfer the land from the council – dominated by MDP councillors – to the government-controlled Ministry of Housing and Environment.

Male’ City Council refused to hand over the land and insisted that the area was “temporarily leased” to the former ruling party in accordance with the Decentralisation Act, and contended that the ministry does not have the legal authority to reclaim council property.

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Housing Ministry orders police to clear MDP protest site at Usfasgandu

The Housing Ministry has sent a letter to police instructing them to clear the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s protest site at Usfasgandu, the plot of land in the south of the city behind the State Electric Company (STELCO) building.

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef today confirmed to Minivan News that police had received the letter.

‘’We are currently reviewing the case. We haven’t decided [to act] on it yet,’’ Haneef said, refusing to comment further on the matter.

On January 20, 2013, Male’ City Council was ordered by the Civil Court to “hand over” the land used by the MDP for its political rallies to the Ministry of Housing within a period of seven days.

The Civil Court’s ruling also states that the city council’s current use of the area contradicts the agreement made between the council,  the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Finance and Treasury.

However, Male’ City Council has appealed the ruling in the High Court, which has yet to reach a verdict in the appeal case.

Male’ City Council Mayor ‘Maizan’ Ali Manik today said that he had not officially heard about the issue and would not like to comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, MDP Spokesperson MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said he had not been informed about the letter sent by the Housing Ministry to police.

Male’ City Council (MCC) leased the Usfasgandu area to the ousted ruling party for three months, prompting repeated attempts by the government to reclaim the area on the grounds it was being used for criminal activity, including the practice of black magic.

The MDP moved a few dozen metres down the road to the site after its protest camp at the tsunami monument was dismantled and completely repainted on March 19 2012 by the police and military.

On May 29, police raided the Usfasgandu site after obtaining a search warrant from the Criminal Court, ordering the MDP to vacate the area before 10:00pm. The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) then began dismantling the protest camp.

The Civil Court however issued an injunction ordering security forces to halt the operation after the MDP challenged its legality. The injunction was to stand until the court reached a verdict and was later upheld by the High Court.

In August 2012, the Civil Court ruled that the police did not have the legal authority to order the opposition MDP to vacate the area. The government has since tried to transfer the land from the council – dominated by MDP councillors – to the government-controlled Ministry of Housing and Environment.

Male’ City Council refused to hand over the land and insisted that the area was “temporarily leased” to the former ruling party in accordance with the Decentralisation Act, and contended that the ministry does not have the legal authority to reclaim council property.

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Criminal Court extends detention of second suspect in Afrasheem murder case

The Criminal Court yesterday extended the detention period of Ahmed Shan, the second main suspect arrested in connection with the death of late MP and well-known religious scholar Dr Afrasheem Ali.

The Criminal Court told local media that Shan, of Henveiru Hikost House, was summoned to the Criminal Court yesterday and his pretrial detention period was extended another 15 days.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Court recently started the trial of Hussain Human, the main suspect arrested in connection with the case.

During the first hearing the state attorney read out the charges against Humam, who pleaded not guilty and requested the court grant him the opportunity to appoint a lawyer.

Attorneys representing the state told the Criminal Court that on 1 October 2012, Humam and a group of people attacked and murdered Dr Afrasheem Ali.

The mobile phone of Criminal Court Spokesperson Mohamed Manik was switched off and he was unavailable for comment at time of press.

MP Afrasheem was brutally stabbed to death on the night of October 1, on the staircase of his home.

Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz has previously alleged the murder of the MP was well planned and worth MVR 4 million (US$260,000).

In a presentation shown to a press conference last year, Riyaz claimed that 11 suspects were initially arrested, of which three had since been released. He added that about 200 items had been analysed as evidence, including forensic and digital evidence, which he claimed were enough to prosecute the prime suspects.

“Over 500 hours of CCTV footage have been analysed, more than a hundred people have been interviewed and about 13,000 phone call recordings have been analysed out of which 12,000 were from one single tower,” Riyaz said.

The commissioner claimed Afrasheem was last seen alive inside the premises of the state broadcaster, Television Maldives (TVM). The presentation suggested that Afrasheem was seen leaving the premises in his car around 11:04pm, according to nearby CCTV camera footage.

Afrasheem left the station after participating in a religious TV program called “Islamee Dhiriulhun” (Islamic Life), with Deputy Minister of Islamic Affairs Mohamed Qubad Aboobakuru.

In his last words, aired on the show, Afrasheem said he was deeply saddened and asked for forgiveness from citizens if he had created a misconception in their minds due to his inability to express himself in the right manner.

Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Shaheem Ali Saeed was quoted in local media as saying that the Islamic Ministry had not forced Afrasheem to offer a public apology for anything during his last television appearance and disputed that there was any religious motivation in the death of the moderate scholar.

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Missing man from Fuvamulah found dead

The body of a missing 30 year-old Fuvamulah man, Mohamed Nafiz, has been found dead on the shore of Fuvamulah.

Nafiz was declared missing by police on January 24, at 8:00pm.

Police said the body was discovered yesterday morning at 6:27am in an area of Fuvamulah beach called ‘’Ambulu fannu’’.

Police said a forensic team and investigative team had been dispatched to the island to investigate the case, and had confirmed the body was Nafiz.

In a statement, police said fingerprints of the dead body found on the beach matched those of the missing man.

The body was discovered while Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) divers and police officers were searching for him.

Nafiz was last seen alive when he and two other friends of the same age arrived to Fuvamulah from Addu City.

Local newspaper Haveeru reported that two men have been arrested in connection with the death of Nafiz.

Haveeru reported that his family alleged he was killed by the two friends who had accompanied him to Addu.

According to ‘Haveeru’, the clothes Nafiz had been wearing were discovered on the beach, wrapped around 19 bullet-sized packets containing illegal drugs.

A councilor of Addu City, on condition of anonymity, told the paper that Nafiz may have drowned after jumping off a boat to get to shore, after attempting to avoid police officers.

Nafiz’s uncle told Haveeru that Nafiz left Fuvamulah to go fishing but later said he and his two friends had gone to Addu to traffic illegal drugs into the island.

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef was not responding to calls at time of press.

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Two men arrested with 325 bottles of alcohol

Police have arrested two men found to be in possession of 325 bottles of alcohol in Male’ on Thursday afternoon.

According to the Maldives Police Service, the two men were arrested as part of a joint operation conducted by the Police Intelligence and Drug Enforcement Department (DED).

Police confirmed to local media that a Bangladeshi and Maldivian national were arrested as part of the operation.

Police said the Maldivian suspected was 34 years-old, while the Bangladeshi man was 22 years-old.  No further details on the suspects were provided.

Meanwhile in Addu City, police have also announced the arrest of six men and a minor with MVR 53,000 (US$3430) and illegal narcotics.

The arrests, which were made on Tuesday (January 22), formed part of a wider on-going operation called ‘Our Peaceful Addu City’, which was commenced by police to try and reduce crimes rates in the area.

“The six men were arrested at about 10:50 pm on January 22 during a raid on Thamannaa House in Addu City,” police said in a statement, adding that the raid was made following intelligence reports.

When police searched the house, officers discovered nine bullet-sized packets containing illegal narcotics, another 13 small packets of illegal drugs and a 500ml bottle containing home-made alcohol.

According to police, a sum of money totalling MVR 53,538, a laptop and a projector all suspected to have been stolen were also discovered inside the building at the time.

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