Author: Shafaa Hameed

Opposition to resume protests

The opposition alliance have vowed to continue anti-government protests tonight despite the arrest of 193 protesters and leaders of the allied parties after clashes at yesterday’s May Day rally.

Police have meanwhile threatened to break up any demonstration held without prior notice as soon as it starts. The ‘Maldivians against tyranny’ coalition has urged supporters to gather at the artificial beach at 9:00pm.

The goal of the May Day protest march was to “bring an end to brutality,” but was met with a brutal police crackdown, said main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ibrahim Mohamed Solih ‘Ibu’ after a meeting of the alliance’s steering committee.

Police have said that protesters assaulted police officers, damaged the property of the security services and the public, and disrupted public order and safety. Two police officers have been flown to Sri Lanka for treatment of injuries.

However, opposition leaders accused police of using “excessive and disproportionate force” against protesters after 30,000 people took to the streets of the capital.

Police cracked down with tear gas, pepper spray, stun grenades, and baton charges after protesters attempted to enter the ‘green zone’ to perform dusk prayers at the Islamic centre. Gatherings are prohibited at the Republic square in front of the mosque.

Ibu said the alliance had planned to pray on the street after marching to the western end of Majeedhee Magu, but the leadership decided to pray at the Islamic centre as police had told the AP that no protest activity should take place between dusk and evening prayers.

While such an order was unconstitutional, Ibu said the opposition leaders decided not to carry out any activities during the specified period.

“We had a plan. We tried for the people gathered with us to the Islamic centre any way they could. But you saw how police acted after that,” he said.

Responding to criticism of the opposition leaders “fleeing” the scene after the crackdown, Sheikh Mohamed Didi from the Adhaalath Party said the leaders went to pray at nearby homes when it became clear they could not enter the Islamic centre.

Former ruling party MP Ahmed Mahloof said reports suggested the number of people arrested yesterday could be as high as 280 and not 193 as police have said.

“We are clarifying this information. This number of people have never been arrested in Maldivian history,” he said.

Mahloof also criticised the Police Integrity Commission for claiming police had acted professionally and with restraint. The independent MP said police beat up several protesters.

Further clashes took place at 8pm after protesters regrouped at Chandhanee Magu with Specialist Operations (SO) officers periodically charged the crowd and made dozens of arrest.

Police have made public video footage of protesters tripping and beating up a lone SO officer. The officer was rescued by protesters and brought behind police lines, prompting a baton charge. Police said another officer was injured when a protest pickup broke through police lines near the fish market.

Ibu said pro-government supporters had infiltrated the crowd yesterday and that the alliance is looking into the assault of the police officer on Chaandhanee Magu to determine who was involved.

Mahloof claimed the incident occurred shortly after an SO pickup charged into the crowd at high speed, which angered the protesters.

The alliance regrets the incident and does not encourage violence, he said, and suggested that the officer might have been assaulted by gangs paid by the government.

Local media reported officials at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGHM) as saying that neither the police officers nor protesters suffered serious injuries. Five police officers and six civilians were treated at IGMH while four protesters were treated at ADK.

Meanwhile, invoking authority under the 2013 freedom of assembly law to restrict the constitutional right to protest, police announced today that further protests will not be allowed unless police are given advance notice.

“We notify protest organisers that gatherings held without giving notice or providing full information to police will be stopped at the time of commencement,” the Maldives Police Service warned in a statement this afternoon.

The 2013 law requires organisers to uphold public interest and notify police if the protest is to take place on public roads. The law also states that the right to assembly can be limited in the interests of maintaining national security, public order, and stability.

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Fear and festivity in Malé on the eve of May Day protest

With additional reporting by Ismail Humaam Hamid and Zaheena Rasheed.

The Maldives’ capital city Malé is gearing up for a mass anti-government rally tomorrow. The day will kick off with prayers at dawn and at noon. Protesters have been told to wear comfortable shoes and clothes for the official demonstration, which will start from the Artificial Beach at 3:30pm.

Supporters from Maldives’ remote atolls are continuing to arrive by the thousands, and the opposition has set hashtags #EkehFaheh15 (OneFive15) and #AniyaaverikanNinmman (To end tyranny) for the day, and started circulating leaflets on how to reduce the effects of pepper spray and tear gas.

Supporters say they are determined to “end the government’s tyranny” and free imprisoned ex president Mohamed Nasheed and former defence minister Mohamed Nazim.

Meanwhile, tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb has accused the opposition of plotting to overthrow President Abdulla Yameen’s government as the police continued riot control exercises on Malé’s streets.

“We expect the security forces to confront us, but we have no fear,” a smiling Khadeeja Ibrahim, 49, told Minivan News outside the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) offices at noon today.

She was among a group of MDP members who were about to deliver tens of thousands of petitions calling for Nasheed’s freedom to the president’s office. The police turned them back.

Across town, Ibrahim Nadheem, 26, who works in a grocery shop and is studying to become a Quran teacher said Nasheed “brought me hope, he had a vision for the youth, that we should grow up to be skilled and educated citizens.”

Nadheem’s face is disfigured by a broken nose after a police officer punched him during a protest in 2012.

At the airport, Mohamed Zubair, who suffered serious head injuries in a brutal police crackdown in February 2012, says he is ready to sacrifice again for Nasheed’s freedom. “Today I am hopeful.”

Nasheed and Nazim’s imprisonment has united former bitter rivals, the Adhaalath Party, the Jumhooree Party and the MDP, who now say President Yameen is out to silence all dissent.

The opposition called for the demonstration when Yameen turned down repeated calls for dialogue despite months of nationwide protests. The president made a record number of public appearances this week and has appealed to the armed forces to defend his administration.

Among government employees, paranoia and fear is high. Employees at the state-owned electricity company, STELCO, the Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) and the immigration department say their superiors have threatened them with dismissal if they are seen at the protests.

“We are all afraid, I can’t go. I don’t want to lose my job, I have to pay rent and take care of my family,” one 43-year-old man, who works in STELCO, told Minivan News.

The MPL has meanwhile arranged a BBQ at 1:30pm and a dinner for all of its employees tomorrow, in a move opposition supporting workers say is aimed at keeping them away from the protest.

“We’ve also been told if anyone of us is seen at the protests, we will be dismissed immediately,” an employee who wished to remain anonymous said.

The home ministry this week said it has received reports that dozens of island council members are traveling to Malé on state expenses to take part in the protests, and has asked the anti-corruption watchdog to take action.

The department of judicial administration has also demanded island offices to provide information on magistrates and judicial sector employees who have traveled to the capital this week.

Meanwhile, a website set up for the Mayday protest was hacked and a photo of president Yameen and the PPM logo was put up with the words: “Go back to your homes if you want peaceful Maldives.”

On social media, opposition supporters called for revolution.

Elsewhere, supporters shared advice on how to mitigate the effects of pepper spray and tear gas and how to act in the event of a charge by the police.

Some proposed home made plastic masks for for pepper spray.

The police have also raised concerns over violence, saying they have received reports protesters will harm police officers and attack the residences of cabinet ministers. Tonight, they issued a statement telling protesters to suspend activities for the hour between the dusk and evening prayers and said the demonstration must end by midnight.

Adhaalath Party (AP) president Sheikh Imran Abdulla said last night that protesters will perform the evening prayers on the street after a special prayer at sunset, advising protesters to bring prayer mats.

The police have released several photos and videos of protest control trainings this week.

The AP, which has claimed responsibility for organising the protest, must bear legal costs for any unlawful activities that may take place before or after protests, the police said.

Some opposition supporters fears of attacks by gangs, who are allegedly controlled by tourism minister Adeeb. Gangsters have attacked protesters in recent months with knives and vandalised their equipment.

Individuals who said they will not attend the protests cited concern over a possible confrontation between police and protesters.

“I am not happy with the idea of protesting, it creates too much conflict. The end result will not be good,” said 49-year-old Maryam Waheedha.

A fisherman who wished to remain anonymous “for the safety of his family” told Minivan News that he was unhappy with the government, but did not like to protest.

“I used to make 3,000 rufiyaa a week from two baskets of fish before Yameen came to power. But now I am not able to make that in a month even with a ton of fish,” he claimed.

Pro-government supporters denounced the opposition as power-hungry, but said they expect tomorrow’s turnout to be high.

Mohamed Waheed, 36, said; “We will not go to the protest, we will be sleeping on May 1. I do think there will be a good turn out at the protest, big enough to pressure the government.”

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Former first lady submits Nasheed’s case to UN

Former first lady Laila Ali has lodged a petition with the UN requesting a judgement declaring former president Mohamed Nasheed’s detention illegal and arbitrary.

Laila and Nasheed’s international legal team is seeking an opinion from the UN working group on arbitrary detention declaring that his imprisonment for 13 years on a terrorism charge violates the Maldives’ obligations under the international covenant on civil and political rights and the universal declaration on human rights.

The charge relates to the military detention of a criminal court judge during his tenure.

The UN judgment should also “call for his immediate release; request the government investigate and hold to account all those responsible for his unlawful arrest, detention, trial, and imprisonment; and request the government award Nasheed compensation for the harm caused by being deprived of his liberty,” the petition stated.

Briefing the US press in Washington DC with lawyers Amal Clooney and Jared Genser, Laila said Nasheed’s absence was difficult for her and the couple’s two children.

“[But] I also have hope, I have hope because my international legal team has just filed a petition to the United Nations looking in upon arbitrary detention documenting the evidence that my husband’s detention is illegal and in violation of international law,” she said.

She also expressed concern about the health and safety of her husband.

“I am here today as a wife and a mother of two young daughters. I have always tried to maintain a private life for myself and for my daughters. I’m speaking out now because my husband has been silenced and not in a position to speak for himself,” said Laila.

Amal meanwhile said the conviction was “clearly designed to punish him for criticising the government and to remove him from the political scene.”

She noted that Nasheed had been arrested over 20 times during the 30-year reign of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and “subjected to blatantly political trials”.

Nasheed’s treatment under Gayoom’s half-brother, current president Abdulla Yameen “is no different, perhaps a tiny bit less transparent,” she said.

The terrorism charges followed the exit of Jumhooree Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim from the ruling coalition, she continued, which bolstered Nasheed’s chances of winning the next presidential election.

After placing third with 24 percent of the vote in the 2013 polls, Gasim’s endorsement of Yameen in the second round run-off was crucial for the latter’s victory. Nasheed had emerged the front-runner in the first round of polls with 46 percent of the vote.

Gasim’s alliance with Nasheed “clearly became too much” for president Yameen, she contended.

The criminal court’s 19-day trial violated due process and compromised the basic guarantee of presumption of innocence, Amal argued.

She noted that Nasheed was not allowed to present defence witnesses while key witnesses had said they simply assumed Nasheed ordered the arrest of criminal court chief judge Abdulla Mohamed in January 2012.

“This was considered more than sufficient for the judges to convict him” said Amal.

She contended Nasheed never ordered Judge Abdulla Mohamed’s arrest and said: “Nor could these events even if they true, on any rational analysis constitute the crime of terrorism with the severe penalties that this carries,” she added.

Amal said that the court had said that there is no need to call for defense witnesses because such witnesses “would not be able to refute the evidence submitted by the prosecution”.

“This tells you everything you need to know about the process. Because why call a defense witness, if you already know that the verdict is going to be guilty,” she said.

Testimony from two of the three presiding judges were also included in the prosecution’s submission to the trial. “It’s difficult to imagine a clearer case of judicial partiality,” Amal said.

Nasheed was also denied legal representation during the first hearing of the trial, while the judges later refused to grant him the opportunity to appoint legal counsel when the opposition leader’s legal team resigned in protest against the court’s refusal to grant sufficient time to mount a defence.

She also referred to police “manhandling and physically dragging Nasheed to the court room” after he attempted to talk to reporters outside the court building.

Amal also noted president Nasheed’s global advocacy for climate change and his decades-long struggle for human rights in the Maldives.

“He paid the price for his courage and popularity,” she said.

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Thousands arrive in Malé for May Day protest, police threaten crackdown

Thousands of people from Maldives’ remote atolls are traveling to Malé this week for a mass antigovernment protest on Friday, but the police have threatened a crack down claiming opposition supporters are planning to attack the security officers and the residences of government officials.

The Maldivians against tyranny coalition has vowed to bring out 25,000 people on to the streets of Malé after the government turned down calls for negotiation over the imprisonment of ex president Mohamed Nasheed and former defence minister Mohamed Nazim.

Ilyas Labeeb, a former MP with the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), said over 2000 people have arrived in Malé by noon today and said an additional three thousand islanders are expected to arrive by boat over the next 48 hours.

The coalition says at least 15,000 people from Malé, where one-third of the Maldives’ 350,000 population live, will join the historic march.

Speaking to Minivan News, 47-year-old Mohamed Arif from southern Thaa Kimbidhoo said: “I came from my island today to bring an end to the tyranny the Maldivian people are facing. I want the current disobedient ruler, who does not seem to hear us, to listen to what we have to say.”

Arif was accompanied by 95 people from Kimbidhoo island.

The coalition is bearing the cost of travel and food for supporters from the atolls. Many have made their own arrangements for accommodation with family members, while others will be sleeping on the boats, the coalition has said.

Opposition leaders had been traveling across the country in recent weeks canvassing for support.

The coalition has meanwhile launched a website for the May Day protest and introduced a hashtag for social media – #EkehFaheh15 – referring to the date of the protest.

MDP supporter Mariyam Zulfa, 42, who lives in Malé says she will attend the protests with her family, “but our leaders must make sure we end the government’s tyranny this time.”

The police held separate meetings with members of the coalition, the MDP, the Jumhooree Party and the religious conservative Adhaalath Party on Tuesday and Wednesday to raise concerns over the threat of violence.

Opposition leaders including Adhaalath’s president Sheikh Imran Abdulla have told the police that the demonstration will remain peaceful.

But the Maldives Police Services at press conference this evening said intelligence reports indicate opposition supporters are planning to attack the residences of government officials and are sharpening iron rods and pipes and gathering lead balls to attack security forces.

The police say they will allow peaceful protests to proceed, but said the army and the police are ready to crack down on any violence.

The police’s riot control exercises continued in Malé today with officers carrying guns practicing arrest procedures. Hundreds of officers also ran through Malé’s streets at noon.

Police May day prep

 

Minivan News journalists observed several police officers tearing up May Day posters from the walls of Malé residences today.

Meanwhile, president Abdulla Yameen said he had appointed the tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb as his representative to speak with Adhaalath Party’s Sheikh Imran to jeers and laughter at a government function last night.

“I find Imran’s work to be obsolete,” he said and called on Adhaalath Party members to join the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

Imran has called on the president to dismiss Adeeb who he accuses of corruption and illicit connections with gangs.

Referring to Imran, Adeeb said last night: “hypocritical scholars will be exposed at the end of the times.”

The PPM also issued a statement today dismissing rumors that PPM leader and former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is involved in the May Day protest. Gayoom is president Yameen’s half-brother.

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President dismisses calls for resignation

President Abdulla Yameen says he will not resign or negotiate with the opposition despite the threat of mass antigovernment protests on May Day.

The Maldivians against brutality coalition says it will bring out 25,000 people on to the streets of the capital on Friday, and has called on president Yameen to initiate talks immediately and free imprisoned former president Mohamed Nasheed and ex defence minister Mohamed Nazim.

But the president at a press conference today reiterated his belief that there was no room for negotiations in court verdicts and said ordinary Maldivians are not facing any difficulties in their day to day life.

“There is no reason for me to resign. The opposition shouting out what ever they like is no reason for a president to resign,” he said.

“As I govern, I am the first to take the initiative to resolve issues arising from my mistakes. They have not said anything substantial as of yet.”

The criminal court last month sentenced Nasheed to 13 years in jail on terrorism and Nazim to 11 years on weapons smuggling. Foreign governments and international rights groups have condemned the trials for lack of due process.

Tens of thousands have signed a petition urging president Yameen to free Nasheed. The opposition leader’s lawyers say the Clemency Act authorizes the president to shorten an inmate’s sentence to any period depending on the circumstances surrounding the prisoner’s conviction.

But Yameen today dismissed calls for Nasheed’s freedom, stating: “MDP says president Yameen can release president Nasheed even tomorrow. President Yameen will not release president Nasheed tomorrow. He is serving a sentence. The sentence can only be reduced according to due process.”

The coalition – made up of MDP, religious conservative Adhaalath Party, members of the Jumhooree Party and independent MPs – says it will end the government’s tyranny on May Day. Opposition politicians have been traveling across the country in recent weeks urging supporters to converge on the capital on May 1. Meanwhile, daily small scale protests are continuing.

But president Yameen says he faces no pressure stating: “I would like to say, May 1 will once again mark a day where the rule of law is upheld in the Maldives.”

“May 1 is coming. I will wait and watch. Those who violate the laws must know they will be punished. We have been advising [the opposition] through the relevant institutions. We will not allow [the opposition] to bring out young people and put them behind bars,” he said.

He accused the opposition of inciting violence and undermining the rule of law by using religion as a shield, and advised the opposition to cease its efforts immediately.

Last week, tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb challenged the opposition to a confrontation on May Day.

The government has said Nasheed and Nazim must appeal their sentences, but the opposition says it has no faith in the judiciary saying the president controls the judiciary.

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Riot police conduct training exercises ahead of May Day rally

Specialist Operations (SO) police officers have conducted training exercises ahead of an anti-government mass rally on May 1.

The opposition alliance, made up of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the Adhaalath Party (AP) and leaders of business tycoon Gasim Ibrahim’s Jumhoory Party (JP), expects at least 25,000 people to take part in the May Day protest.

MDP vice president Mohamed Shifaz told Minivan News that the alliance does not expect a heavy-handed crackdown from police.

“We are not talking about overthrowing the government on May Day. We want an end to the brutality shown against Maldivian citizens by president [Abdulla] Yameen’s government,” he said.

Leaders of the opposition alliance have been traveling across the country in recent days, holding rallies and urging opposition supporters to converge on the capital on May 1.

Last week, tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb challenged the opposition to a confrontation on May Day, prompting fears of a stand-off and civil unrest.

Opposition leaders have said the mass rally will force president Yameen to “come to the negotiating table” and discuss the release of imprisoned ex-president Mohamed Nasheed and ex-defence minister Mohamed Nazim.

The SO training meanwhile took place on the island of Feydhoo Finolhu during the weekend and involved exercises on controlling protests.

Police said the first round of the training session has concluded and all SO officers and other officers transferred to the department participated in the exercises.

Similar exercises were carried out with stun guns and grenades ahead of an MDP-JP mass rally on February 27.

In a sermon in Malé on Thursday night – attended by senior members of the allied parties – head of the AP’s religious scholars’ council, Sheikh Ilyas Hussain called on the police and military not to “brutalise” any Maldivian citizen.

Ilyas urged police to disregard orders from superiors to use force against the public.

Meanwhile, speaking at a futsal stadium opening event in Lhaviyani Naifaru on the same night, Adeeb said the current government cannot be overthrown through street protests.

The deputy leader of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives said only 60 or 70 people were taking part in the nightly protests.

The opposition alliance “cannot do anything,” he said.

In response, Shifaz said today that the rally on February 27 had considerably more than 60 or 70 people.

“We are doing what an opposition party is supposed to do,” he said.

Shifaz said it was inappropriate for a minister to mock and challenge the opposition.

He suggested that Adeeb and other senior government officials were “unfamiliar” with the new democratic constitution and multi-party democracy.

“We were there even at the start of the work and awareness of democracy. Maybe Adeeb is too young to be familiar with ruling through a democratic system and the constitution. How can such people rule the country?” he asked.

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Government dismisses ‘slanderous’ allegation of plot to assassinate Nasheed

The government has dismissed allegations of a plot by senior officials to assassinate imprisoned ex-president Mohamed Nasheed as “slanderous.”

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said today that credible sources have informed the main opposition party and Nasheed’s family that a senior government official has recently obtained powerful anaesthetics drugs to use against the opposition leader.

“If bringing in medicine for treatment to a prison where president Nasheed is being kept is considered as intended to harm an inmate, that is a big joke,” president’s office spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz Ali told Minivan News today.

The allegation is baseless and “slanderous,” he added. Muaz suggested the MDP should file cases with the relevant authorities.

Nasheed is serving a 13-year jail sentence relating to the military’s detention of a judge during his administration.

Following his transfer from police custody to a low security jail on Tuesday, Nasheed’s lawyers expressed concern with the police’s failure to inform the former president’s legal team or his family.

Former first lady Laila Ali appealed to president Abdulla Yameen for assurances of Nasheed’s safety last month, saying she had received information from credible sources of a likely attempt on his life.

Home minister Umar Naseer has previously said the government “guarantees the safety, welfare and protection of former president Mohamed Nasheed while in custody.”

Commissioner of prisons Mohamed Husham told Minivan News that a special team is in charge of ensuring Nasheed’s security, including a specially trained officer.

“If we receive information of such a threat we take action for the inmate’s safety. But some people may try to take advantage if details of such procedures are shared with the public,” he said.

The MDP claimed a senior government official obtained anaesthesia medicine, including chloroform, from an official in the health sector some days ago.

An official from the health ministry, who wished to remain anonymous, told Minivan News that anaesthetic drugs were controlled substances and special permits were required before the medicine is released.

The drugs are mainly used by specialist doctors to induce loss of consciousness for surgeries and records are kept of the inventory, the official said.

Meanwhile, responding to Muaz’s remarks, MDP spokesperson Imthiyaz Fahmy said Nasheed’s trial is considered “a worldwide joke”.

The government broke all domestic and international rules in unfairly sentencing Nasheed, he contended, adding that the information came from a reliable source.

“We cannot believe such rule breakers will not do this. When it comes to such matters we do not know what they may or may not do,” he said.

“This country is run through state-sponsored terrorism. Impunity and lawlessness prevail. This is the kind of government ruling us today. So as long as this government is in power anything is possible.”

Imthiyaz said international best practice requires the state to inform an inmate’s lawyer or family before transfer to a different prison.

The MDP also called on the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, relevant authorities, friendly nations, and international organisations to take steps to ensure the safety of the former president.

Human rights commissioner Ahmed Tholal told Minivan News that members of the commission have visited the ‘Asseyri’ jail in Himmafushi for an inspection.

The members checked Nasheed’s cell and ensured that he was being treated in accordance with prison regulations.

While the members noted some problems, Tholal said the situation overall was “not bad.”

“We do take threats against people who are under state custody seriously and we are going to do everything we can with regard to such threats,” he said.

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State company uproots tree planted by ex-president Nasheed

Officials of the government’s road corporation on Monday night uprooted and burned a tree planted by ex-president Mohamed Nasheed in Thaa atoll Vilufushi.

Vilufushi island councillor Hussain Jabeen, a member of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), was later arrested for allegedly threatening employees of the corporation over the incident.

Vilufushi councillor Ibrahim Shafiu told Minivan News that officials from the island subdivision of the Maldives Road Development Cooperation (MRDC) uprooted the tree around 12:00pm on Monday, claiming it was impeding road construction.

“Usually when they uproot trees from the green area they ask for our permission and for where else to keep them. This time they did not say anything before uprooting the tree and burning it at the garbage dump,” said Shafiu.

The incident comes in a highly charged political environment with the opposition alliance gearing up for a mass anti-government rally on May 1.

Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in jail on terrorism charges last month.

The opposition-dominated Vilufushi island council has also put out a statement condemning the act as “uncivilised and cowardly.”

Shafiu accused the road corporation employees of targeting the tree planted by the then-president Nasheed during a visit in April 2011, noting that other trees at the green zone have not been uprooted.

However, Ahmed Mamdhooh, deputy manager of the MRDC, told Minivan News that the council gave approval for uprooting trees ahead of laying tar for the road construction project.

Island councillor Jabeen was meanwhile arrested with a court warrant after midnight on Tuesday. He was accused of damaging iron rods on the road development site and verbally abusing and threatening the corporation’s employees.

Jabeen was taken to the police station on the nearby island of Madifushi and later brought before a magistrate for extension of remand detention.

However, the magistrate court released the island council president from police custody.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Jabeen denied the allegations, saying he politely spoke to management officials and objected to the uprooting of a tree planted by a former president.

He also said the council alone cannot authorise removal of trees and that the road corporation had to seek permission from the land survey authority as well.

Councillor Shafiu also said he went with Jabeen on Monday to meet the corporation’s senior staff, who refused to meet the councillors.

The pair then went to the road development site, sought out the manager, and asked for an explanation, he continued, but were told that the management officials were unaware of the incident.

Jabeen said the tree had been targeted before by pro-government supporters.

“Even in the past people have thrown petrol on the tree and cut off the branches, but it grows back each time,” he said.

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Inter-generational violence and state negligence led to Ibthihaal murder, says police

Inter-generational violence and state negligence led to the abuse and death of three-year-old Mohamed Ibthihaal in January, police have said.

Chief Inspector Abdulla Satheeh said negligence by government authorities and the island community on Vaavu Rakeedhoo was partly responsible for the toddler’s murder.

“Investigating the death is not enough, wide investigation into circumstances surrounding his death is also important,” Satheeh told the press on Thursday.

Ibthihaal’s body was found with signs of severe abuse on January 28 in the worst case of child abuse in recent years. The murder shocked the nation while reports that officials had been aware of Ibthihaal’s abuse sparked public outrage.

The boy’s mother, Fathmath Afiya, was arrested for murder two days later and has since been held in remand detention.

Afiya’s stepfather, Ismail Raoof, was arrested on April 1 on suspicion of physically and sexually abusing Ibthihaal.

Satheeh said marks on the child’s neck indicated that he had been strangled.

Police also found swelling on the right side of his forehead, scrapes on his face, wounds on his right ear and scars all over his body. Some of his ribs were broken as well.

Satheeh said Ibthihaal’s death was caused by “major injuries” while some older scars remained unhealed.

“Mohamed Ibthihal had received physical and psychological harm from different individuals on different occasions, for a long period of time,” he said.

Police explained that Ibthihaal had been under the care of his maternal grandmother from the age of one and lived with her in Vaavu Keyodhoo and Meemu Madduvari.

Afiya’s stepfather is suspected of having abused Ibthihaal at the time.

Seven months before his death, Ibthihaal was brought back to Rakeedhoo to live with his mother, where his psychological and physical abuse continued.

Afiya had two other children at the time and is accused of mistreating Ibthihaal, neglecting to feed or wash the boy.

Satheeh said Afiya’s husband, Ibthihaal’s step father, took care of the boy.

On the day before his death, Afiya had not fed Ibthihaal after giving the boy a glass of juice. His stepfather fed him after coming home that night, Satheeh said.

Police suggested that Afiya’s anger towards her son stemmed from rumours surrounding his birth. Ibthihaal was reportedly born out of wedlock.

During her interrogation, Afiya confessed to severely beating Ibthihaal after waking up in the morning “because of the anger she had towards him”.

Afiya said she called for help when she saw no movement from the child.

Local media has reported that Afiya was also a victim of sexual abuse.

Afiya’s stepfather, Raoof, had previously been banished by the Vaavu Keyodhoo court after being found guilty of abusing a step-child. Afiya was reportedly the victim of the abuse.

Negligence

In its submission to the UN’s Universal Periodic Review, the human rights watchdog said children born out of wedlock face discrimination in the Maldives.

Illegitimate children were denied their father’s name, inheritance and child maintenance, the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives said.

The commission noted that the absence of requisite procedures, inconsistencies in institutional applications and lack of sensitivity among law enforcement and judiciary towards domestic violence are fundamental issues faced in implementation of Domestic Violence Act.

Limited capacity of investigators and their belief that such cases are family matters inhibit victims from getting redress.

“Reporting of domestic violence cases remain low as a result of lack of confidence in the system, fear of intimidation by perpetrators, stigmatisation and inadequate information on protection measures,” the commission stated.

“Violence against children takes place in all settings. Only a small proportion of reported child abuse victims gets justice and remains re‐victimised due to systemic failures.”

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