Category: Politics

Maldivian President joins calls for Mubarak to step down

President Mohamed Nasheed has joined the first wave of world leaders calling for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down and “heed the will of the Egyptian people,” after hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets and demanded the end of autocratic rule.

“Egypt is a mature country. It contains many reasonable people who are capable of ruling reasonably,” President Nasheed said, during an interview with the BBC yesterday.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has warned Mubarak that his actions now would determine his legacy.

“Mr Hosni Mubarak: I want to make a very sincere recommendation, a very candid warning… All of us will die and will be questioned over what we left behind,” Erdogan said, in a party speech broadcast in Arabic and reported by Reuters Africa.

“As Muslims, where we all go is a two cubic metre hole,” he said. “Listen to the shouting of the people, the extremely humane demands. Without hesitation, satisfy the people’s desire for change.”

Mubarak has meanwhile offered to step down at the next election, during an appearance on Egypt’s state-run television network.

“In the few months remaining in my current term I will work towards ensuring a peaceful transition of power,” Mubarak said. “I have exhausted my life in serving Egypt and my people. I will die on the soil of Egypt and be judged by history.”

However, demonstrators have called for Mubarak’s immediate departure, given the extraordinary expression of public anger taking place in the country.

Egypt’s opposition leader, Nobel peace laureate Mohamed El Baradei, yesterday noted that demonstrators were increasingly calling for the President to not just resign but be put on trial, and urged him to leave at once “if he wants to save his skin”.

In another development, after initial prevarication US President Barack Obama appears to have withdrawn support for the Egyptian leader, praising the protesters and calling for an immediate transition of power following a 30 minute conversation with Mubarak.

The US has been a key ally of the embattled Egyptian President, pumping US2$billion of aid in the country annually since 1979. Much of this – US$1.3 billion in 2010 – is military aid, mostly Pentagon castoffs, making Egypt the second largest such recipient of US military assistance after Israel. This has seen a good deal of public anger aimed at the US within Egypt.

Mubarak’s other public allies – Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia – have been noticeably silent since the protests began.

Remarkably, the Egyptian military appears to have turned on Mubarak, stating publicly on state media that it would not obey orders to use force against the protesters.

“The presence of the army in the streets is for your sake and to ensure your safety and wellbeing. The armed forces will not resort to use of force against our great people,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, the UK’s Daily Telegraph newspaper has published a leaked confidential cable between Washington and the US Ambassador to Cairo, Margaret Scobey, sent on December 30, 2008, outlining conversations with an unnamed “activist” concerning “regime change” in Egypt prior to the elections in September 2011.

“According to [the source], the opposition is interested in receiving support from the army and the police for a transitional government prior to the 2011 elections. [The source] asserted that this plan is so sensitive it cannot be written down,” the communication revealed.

“[The source] asserted that Mubarak derives his legitimacy from US support, and therefore charged the US with ‘being responsible’ for Mubarak’s ‘crimes’,” wrote Scobey.

“He accused NGOs working on political and economic reform of living in a ‘fantasy world’, and not recognising that Mubarak – ‘the head of the snake’ – must step aside to enable democracy to take root.”

Scobey, however, did not appear optimistic about the source’s chances of success, describing its goal of replacing the current regime with a parliamentary democracy prior to the 2011 presidential elections as “highly unrealistic”.

“Most opposition parties and independent NGOs work toward achieving tangible, incremental reform within the current political context, even if they may be pessimistic about their chances of success. [The source’s] wholesale rejection of such an approach places him outside this mainstream of opposition politicians and activists,” Scobey wrote.

In his interview with the BBC, President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed called on Western powers “not to fear a democratic Egypt”, because this, he claimed, “is the best guarantor of fundamental liberties and human rights.”

“Suppressing people with extremist views through repressive means only makes them stronger,” he said.

“Fundamental rights and freedoms are human aspirations… things that all of us want. These forces are playing out on the streets of the Middle East today.”

The Maldivian government has asked Maldivians in Egypt to leave the country as protests escalate. Haveeru reported that 107 Maldivian nationals were leaving the country today on an Indian flight va Mumbai, arranged by the government.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Addu election canceled after Civil Court rules Addu city criteria invalid

The Civil Court has ruled that the government’s criteria to declare Addu a city are invalid, days before the local council elections are due to take place.

Yesterday evening the decision led the Election Commission to cancel the elections in Addu.

Local newspaper Haveeru reported that Civil Court Judges Aisha Shujoon Mohamed, Hathif Hilmy and Ali Naseer had examined the case, before ruling that the criteria established by the Local Government Authority – consisting solely of Home Minister Hassan Afeef – were invalid. According to court documents cited by Haveeru, this ruling came from a case filed by Hassan Nasir of Annaaru Villa/Addu Atoll Hulhudhoo.

Establishing the criteria required majority of the board, the Court said, as “if a law requires a certain decision to be taken by a particular council or a committee, the decision should be taken by the majority of the council or the committee unless interpreted otherwise.”

Afeef said he was unable to comment as he had not yet seen the Civil Court’s ruling.

The Civil Court first overturned the President’s declaration of Addu as city last month, citing the technicality that the criteria to establish the definition of a city had not been established as required by the Local Government Authority.

That case was filed by the minority opposition party Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), and strong feelings on the subject among Addu citizens in Male’ and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters led to protests outside the house of DQP Leader Hassan Saeed – himself a prominent Adduan.

In response, President Nasheed appointed Afeef to then-empty Local Government Authority – leaving other positions empty – who hastily published city criteria in the government gazette.

The criteria stated that a region would be considered a city if it had a minimum population of 25,000 people and a GDP of no less than Rf 1 billion. The GDP of Addu in 2010 was more than Rf 2 billion, while the population is almost 30,000, according to the Department of National Planning.

The President then declared Addu a city for the second time, even as the Elections Commission (EC) warned that it could be obligated to repeat the voter registration process in Addu, potentially delaying the local council elections in Addu by two weeks. The EC subsequently decided to continue with the election on February 5, on correction of the procedure.

Minivan News sought response from the Attorney General Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad, but had not received any at time of press.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Egyptian military to protect protesters ahead of million-strong gathering

The Egyptian army has signaled that it is willing to support the population’s right to protest and announced that it would not use force to put down legitimate demands for democratic reform.

Journalists present in Egypt have noted that the army has popular support from many protesters, unlike the police who have been accused of launching a violent crackdown on the demonstrators – Reuters has reported the deaths of at 138 people.

Hundreds and thousands of demonstrators have meanwhile packed the centre square of Cario and demanded an end to the 30 year regime of President Hosni Mubarak, a figure who’s autocratic excesses have been widely tolerated by Western powers in the interests of regional stability.

In a statement aired on state media, the Mena news agency, the military claimed that “The presence of the army in the streets is for your sake and to ensure your safety and wellbeing. The armed forces will not resort to use of force against our great people.”

The government has meanwhile cut access to the internet and mobile phone services in a bid to reduce the size of the demonstration, while yesterday authorities revoked the license of news agency Al-Jazeera, shutting its office in Cairo and withdrawing the accreditation of its staff.

“In this time of deep turmoil and unrest in Egyptian society it is imperative that voices from all sides be heard; the closing of our bureau by the Egyptian government is aimed at censoring and silencing the voices of the Egyptian people,” the network said, promising that it would continue its coverage.

Egypt’s opposition leader, Nobel peace laureate Mohamed El Baradei, is emerging as a key personality as civil discontent skyrockets. Calling on Mubarak to leave the country “if he wants to save his skin”, El Baradei has observed that demonstrators were increasingly calling for the President to not just resign, but be put on trial for his handing of the demonstrations.

President Mohamed Nasheed spoke to the former UN weapons inspector on Sunday, emphasising that “Maldivians will always support those who are peacefully advocating for political freedom in Egypt.”

Meanwhile, the Egyptian economy has ground to a halt as tourism fades and businesses across the country close because of the threat of looters. At the Egyptian National Museum, home to some of humanity’s oldest archaeological artifacts, looters damaged a number of objects including several ancient mummies, before hundreds of Egyptian citizens formed a chain around the museum to protect it.

The military has since secured the museum, placing snipers on the roof and detaining 50 men following subsequent attempts to loot and destroy the artifacts.

Egypt’s most iconic site, the Pyramids of Giza, have been closed to visitors.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Opposition commence series of protests demanding freedom of state media

Members of the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyihtunge Party (DRP) last night commenced the first in what they claimed was series of planned protests for the freedom of state media, in particular the Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC), which they accuses of being subject to government influence.

The protest was organised by the party’s Youth Wing, led by DRP MP Ahmed Mahlouf. Former Deputy Leader of the DRP prior to his dismissal, Umar Naseer, was also heading the protest.

The opposition activists first gathered near the artificial beach before moving outside the MNBC studios in Galolhu ward.

Although the protest was supposed to be a peaceful gathering, confrontations erupted between opposition activists and a group of people who appeared from the nearby Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) head office.

”The ‘vigilant group’ from MDP came out of their head office while we were raising our voice in front of MNBC, and attempted to create violence,” said DRP MP Ahmed Nihan. ”Their faces are very familiar to us, we know them very well, they have been jailed several times and they have a number of criminal records.”

The confrontation was controlled by the police at its initial stage, and nobody was injured according to Nihan.

”At 11:20pm, we concluded the protests, but this is not the end, we will continue protesting,” he said. ”We know the government will be waiting for an opportunity to arrest us so that it will weaken our local council campaign, so bearing that in our mind we will continue the protests.”

He also alleged that MNBC did not cover the opposition protests because they were busy interviewing a government minister when the protest was going on outside.

”Later at the news they spoke about the protests and criticised us – they don’t even have time to broadcast the voice of citizens anymore,” he added.

Nihan further claimed that there were “some leaders” in the DRP ”who are very afraid to raise the voice of the people – all they do is sit at home and watch us protest while taking the credit for our work.”

MDP spokesperson Ibrahim Haleem denied that the group of people who attacked DRP activists were MDP members.

”MDP is too educated and civilized a party to do such things, they were not MDP supporters,” Haleem claimed. ”Maybe they thought they were MDP supporters because our head office is located near MNBC.”

He said that there were many citizens who were “very concerned” that former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom had returned to politics, and also very concerned that former DRP Deputy Leader Umar Naseer “is still leading DRP protests despite being expelled from the party.”

Media tug-of-war

A political tug-of-war over Television Maldives (TVM) and Voice of Maldives (VOM) erupted in July 2010, after the executive signaled reluctance to hand control of state media to new body created by the opposition-majority parliament.

The state media outlets are operated by the Maldives National Broadcasting Corporation (MNBC), a 100 percent government owned company established by executive decree.

However in April parliament approved a law to establish a company called the Maldives Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) to operate the state media, with nine board members appointed by and answerable to parliament.

Serving Chairman of MNBC Mohamed “Madulu” Waheed and Managing Director Ibrahim Khaleel had proposed their names to the new MBC board, but were dropped from the shortlist by parliament.

“MNBC is a company established under a resolution by the president and all its assets and land also belong to the company under a contract,” observed the President’s Political Advisor – now Home Minister – Hassan Afeef in July.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Parties talk policy pledges ahead of council elections

As some of the country’s most high-profile political figures campaign around the country ahead of this Saturday’s local council elections, their respective parties have been outlining the policies they hope will sway the elections in their favour.

President Mohamed Nasheed, his predecessor Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and current (DRP) leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali have been touring the country’s atolls to meet and greet constituents who on Feburary 5 will be decide the shape of decentralised governance.

Heading the country’s main political opposition, Thasmeen said that the DRP is pursuing four key messages with its campaigning: equality, democratic practices, Islamic values and keeping the country’s assets under state control.

“We will not sell off state assets,” he said. “We are particularly concerned about the sale of uninhabited islands and the selling of shares in [telecoms provider] Dhiraagu – this is not the right path.”

One of the key concerns the opposition leader claimed was of central importance during the local council campaign was that of strengthening democratic practices, an area he the current ruling MDP “needed to work on much harder.”

“We believe independent institutions like the Elections Commission (EC) and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) should be strengthened,” he said. “Government offices have tried to discredit these institutions, even in the police service where we have seen dismissals for political purposes.”

Ultimately, Thasmeen said that he believed the MDP-led government had been “very partisan” in providing state services and more equality was needed when filling jobs and providing healthcare to politicians.

Alongside the party’s serving members, Thasmeen said he believed that the DRP’s position within the upcoming elections had been strengthened by the return to campaigning of its honorary leader, former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

While not confirming how Gayoom would be campaigning for the party in relation to the strategy outlined by the DRP’s council committee, Thasmeen said he welcomed any assistance. “Mr Gayoom is very well respected and holds an honourable position in the party,” he said.

During his own travels along the campaign trail, President Mohamed Nasheed has also been campaigning to play up the work the MDP has already conducted and will look to continue.

The party’s election manifesto consists of five core pledges: ‘nationwide transport’, ‘affordable living costs’, ‘affordable housing’, ‘affordable quality healthcare’, and the ‘prevention of narcotics abuse and trafficking’.

The party stated at its Congress in late September 2010 that it considered the pledges to be “40 percent” completed.

Whilst visiting the island of Feeali yesterday during a tour of Faafu Atoll and Dhaalu Atoll, the president claimed he remained committed to driving ahead developments despite what he called “unjustifiable criticisms” leveled at his work by opposition parties.

Nasheed stressed that the MDP was campaigning on the basis of continued developments in infrastructure and social protection already focused on within outer lying islands during his administration’s tenure.

The innaguration of sewerage systems in 17 islands – allegedly up from just four before the party came to power as a coalition in 2008 – and the completion of seven water grids in atolls outside of Male’ were used as some examples of MDP’s commitment to national development.

Outside of the country’s two most prominent political parties, President of the religious Adhaalath Party, Sheikh Hussein Rasheed, said its candidates were mainly focused on three main aims during the election.

Sheikh Rasheed said that Adhaalath candidates would focus on “wide ranging development”, aiming to reduce problems associated with drug abuse and “uniting people together”.

“We will co-operate with the government as per the law, of course,” he added.

Rasheed said that candidates for the Adhaalath Party were running for seats in Raa Atoll, Haa Dhaalu Atoll, Addu Atoll, Gnaviyani Atoll and the city of Male’.

”It is very likely that the Adhaalath Party candidate for Raa Atoll and Haa Dhaalu Atoll will win the seat,” he claimed.

The local council elections are scheduled for February 5, this coming Saturday.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Opposition to protest tonight for freedom of state media

The main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has announced that it will hold a protest tonight against what they allege is the political bias of the state media.

The DRP has said that the protesters will set off the protest tonight from the artificial beach at 8:45pm.

”We have waited very patiently for a long time, but our patience is reaching its end. The state media is constantly promoting and campaigning for the government in different ways,” said DRP MP Ahmed Nihan. ”MNBC have been interviewing different government ministers and have been creating TV programs to promote the government.”

Nihan said he was “certain” there was “a secret deal” made between MNBC and the government.

”MNBC was re-branded and changed its name after two board members of Television Maldives (TVM) proposed their names for the Maldives Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) board but were dismissed from the parliament,” Nihan claimed. ”Whats happening is very clear for us and now we want the government to free state media and to make it independent.”

The opposition majority-parliament and the executive are grappling for control of MNBC, after parliament last year created MBC as a competing entity to MNBC and demanded that the government transfer MNBC’s assets. The government refused and the matter entered the judicial system.

Nihan suggested that President Mohamed Nasheed should “ring opposition MPs and give them encouragement like he did with opposition leader in Egypt, El-Baradei.”

”We will hold a very peaceful protest tonight and for now we have not planed to march anywhere, we will just remain at the artificial beach raising our voice,” he said.

He also said the youth’s wing of the party has invited everyone including leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali and former Deputy Leader Umar Naseer to join the protest tonight.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Nexbis to seek legal redress for “irreparable damage to reputation and brand name”

Mobile security solutions vendor Nexbis has announced it will be taking legal action against parties in the Maldives, claiming that speculation over corruption was “politically motivated” in nature and had “wrought irreparable damage to Nexbis’ reputation and brand name.”

“Although we understand that the recent media frenzy and speculation of corruption are politically motivated in nature and not directly related to Nexbis, it has had an indirect impact on our reputation and brand name,” the company said in a statement provided to Minivan News.

“Nexbis’ shareholders own and manage multi-trillion dollar assets globally and will not jeopardise their reputation for an investment return,” the company stated.

The Malaysian-based technology firm signed a concessionaire contract with the Department of Immigration in October 2010, to install an advanced border control system that is had said would collect and store biometric data on expatriate workers and eliminate abuse of (easily forged) paper documentation.

The government has struggled to tackle the problem of foreign worker exploitation. There are believed to be 100,000 foreign workers in the country – almost a third of the country’s total population – but no data is available on how many are illegal.

International agencies have taken a dim view of the problem, most notably the US State Department, which last year placed the Maldives on its tier two watch-list for human trafficking. Minivan News reported in August 2010 that the exploitation of Bangladeshi workers alone was an industry was worth at least US$43.8 million a year, rivaling fishing as a source of foreign exchange.

Following the signing ceremony with Nexbis, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) announced it had received “a serious complaint” regarding “technical details” of the bid, and issued an injunction pending an investigation into the agreement.

“On the very day we signed the contract, barely hours, maybe minutes later, the ACC had drafted a letter saying there were suspicions of corruption involved with the decision,” Minivan News was told by an Immigration Department source, who asked not to be identified.

Nexbis shares immediately dropped 6.3 percent on the back of the ACC’s announcement.

Last week, facing political pressure ahead of the local council elections, President Mohamed Nasheed upheld the ACC’s request that the roll-out of the technology be postponed.

The ‘stop-work’ order amounts to an indefinite hold on the project, with little optimism for a quick outcome. The ACC has not completed an investigation since 2008.

In its statement, Nexbis noted that the system and related technologies to be installed in the Maldives “have been implemented in over 100 locations worldwide including the Americas, Europe and Asia and comply with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) and other international standards.

“Nexbis is an international company with strict internal policies that conform to International Anti-Corruption laws and strictly enforce the policy. All Nexbis staff have strict government security clearance to carry out national security projects.”

The company stated that it was invited along with other Malaysian companies to invest in the Maldives during a government road show, and was shortlisted for the Immigration Border Control System (MIBCS) tender after making an expression of interest in February 2010, together with several other companies.

“Subsequent to that, Nexbis together with the other shortlisted companies were invited to respond to the RFP (request for proposal),” the company stated. “Nexbis followed the strict and transparent submission and evaluation process requirement of the government of Maldives and emerged as the successful bidder for the project in a public opening of the bid together with all the other bidders.”

Those bidders, Nexbis said, were informed that they would be subject to both a technical evaluation by the Immigration Department and an independent financial evaluation by both the Ministry of Finance and the Tender Board.

“The contract negotiations involved lawyers from the Attorney General’s office, Immigration, as well as the Ministry of Finance prior to a unanimous conclusion by all parties and final sign off by the Attorney General’s office of the Government of Maldives,” Nexbis stated.

On October 17, 2010, Nexbis signed a concession agreement with the Department of Immigration to implement an Immigration Border Control System (MIBCS) under a BOT (Build, Operate and Transfer) arrangement. This allowed the system to be installed at no upfront cost to the government, while Nexbis would levy a fee on work visas issued over the lifespan of the agreement.

The concessionaire contract, Nexbis noted, “is legally binding and Nexbis will exhaust all avenues to ensure that its interest is protected in this matter.”

“Nexbis’ international lawyers have been building a libel and defamation case since the media frenzy to enable legal proceedings against certain individuals and institutions that have wrought irreparable damage to Nexbis’ reputation and brand name,” the company stated.

“In addition, we will be suing for compensation for collateral and consequential damages that arise as a result of direct or indirect implied allegations by individuals or institutions. We have gathered significant and indisputable information to mount a successful case and will be taking action.”

Mohamed Zuhair, Press Secretary for President Mohamed Nasheed, said “I agree that this is a negative development, and that Nexbis should consider going to court seeking redress [for the] delays.”

“The ACC has only said that there were ‘instances and opportunities’ where corruption could have occurred, but said they were not sure if it did happen and issued an injunction.”

The President, Zuhair emphasised, had “simply stated that he will cooperate with the ACC”, and “has not insinuated that corruption is involved [in the Nexbis deal].”

He added that the country’s independent institutions – and its judiciary – had been formed during an opposition majority.

“For all the government’s good intentions, the independent institutions have yet to do anything to accelerate the government’s efforts to provide prosperity for the public,” he claimed.

Zuhair pressed for patience, noting that “it is difficult for the government at the timebeing, during local council elections. These are problems not unique to the Maldives, and foreign investors should take heart in the democratic process we have brought in. On a good day, the ACC is in favour of foreign investment.”

He acknowledged the scope of the problem that the agreement was intended to address.

“Expatriate workers get hit twice – they pay agents in the country of origin, then come and pay an agent here, or even the employer. It is illegal and it has been going on for 30 years – there is now an ingrained culture [in the Maldives] of taking advantage of the hiring of expatriate workers to make money from them.”

“I am confident justice will prevail,” he added.

Minister of Economic Development Mahmoud Razee acknowledged that the situation with Nexbis was “unwelcome”, but said the Ministry “believes investors conduct due diligence on political risks in an emerging democracy with a lot of fluidity.”

“The government of the Maldives will continue to promote democracy and stabilise the economy to attract investors,” he said.

Nexbis appeared less convinced, and warned of potential ramifications to foreign investment in the Maldives should investors become collateral damage in local politicking.

“The ultimate collateral damage will be to the Maldivian public in the long term as international investors will shy away from the country unless commitments made are honored,” the company said.

“A single default in the government’s commitment will have a long and lasting effect including a significant re-rating of the investment risk of the country.”

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) was not returning calls despite numerous attempts over several days.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Moral in the political plight of former President’s classmates, says MDP

The collapse of longstanding dictatorships in Tunisia and Egypt, leaders of which were classmates of former Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, carried moral lessons for the Maldives, claimed Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) parliamentary group leader ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik.

”Today the citizens of Arab countries have stood up against their leaders – classmates of [former President] Maumoon, in fact – who were practicing dictatorship like Maumoon,” said Reeko Moosa. ”Take a look at the situation in Tunisia, take a look at the situation in Egypt, where Maumoon received his education.”

Moosa said the citizens of the Maldives should “see the moral” in the situation in these countries.

”The citizens of the Maldives should see the moral in the situation in these countries, ahead of the local council elections, and should not let Maumoon’s regime reinstate their power,” Reeko Moosa said. ”I call citizens of the Maldives to take a look at the situation in these Arab countries  as an example.”

Minivan News attempted to contact DRP MP Ahmed Nihan for a response, but he had not replied at time of press.

If the opposition won the local council elections, Moosa claimed that the situation of the Maldives was likely to become that of Tunisia and and Egypt. If the citizens wished to uphold democracy and not let a dictatorship return in the Maldives, people should vote for MDP in the local council elections, he contended.

President Mohamed Nasheed has meanwhile spoken to opposition leader in Egypt, Mohamed El Baradei.

”Egyptians would have taken note of the lessons learnt from the Maldives, in their own struggle for democracy,” Nasheed said.

The President’s Office said that during the conversation Nasheed spoke about the struggles Maldivians endured to hold the country’s first  democratic elections in 2008.

”President Nasheed said he was deeply concerned to hear that Mr El Baradei remained in detention under house arrest in the Egyptian capital, Cairo,” said the President’s Office. ”The President pointed out to Mr El Baradei that Maldivians have always loved freedom and thus Maldivians will always support those who are peacefully advocating for political freedom in Egypt.”
Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Charges against Sheikh Fareed “political matter, not a religious issue”

The President of the Islamic Foundation of the Maldives (IFM) Ibrahim Fauzy has called on the authorities to withdraw charges against Sheikh Ibrahim Fareed Ahmed, after he appeared in the Criminal Court charged for violating the former Religious Unity Act.

The Court alleged that Sheikh Fareed had preached on some islands without permission from the government authorities in 2007.

Sheikh Fareed was summoned to the Criminal Court today and was given the chance to respond to the charges.

”The former Religious Unity Act is contradictory to the new constitution, it is not acceptable to charge Sheikh Fareed over this issue,” said Fauzy. ”It is all related to politics. The former government confiscated his permission to preach, and later he only spoke at political rallies when he was in the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).”

Sheikh Fareed was arrested alongside many MDP delegates while he was aboard a boat traveling from Thinadhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll in the year 2007, said Fauzy.

”Perhaps he sometimes gave advice to people at political rallies, but that cannot be considered preaching,” he said. ”It is a political matter, not a religious issue.”

Sheikh Fareed told Minivan News today that he was not sure about the nature of the charges against him.

”They are saying that I preached without the permission of authorities,” said Sheikh Fareed. ”I have requested the Criminal Court provide me details of the case.”

Sheikh Fareed said that he could only be certain of the case when he received the documents from the court.

On January 25, 2007, local newspaper ‘Miadhu’ reported that Sheikh Fareed was arrested moments after he walked out of ‘Ibrahimi Mosque’ after concluding Isha preayers.

Miadhu then reported that he was arrested for allegedly taking part in a demonstration that took place in Male.

Later on March 17, 2007, Miadhu reported that he was released from house arrest, kept in Maafushi jail for a few days, and then returned to house arrest.

Furthermore, Sheikh Fareed was arrested several times during the former regime for his participation in anti-governmental protests.

According to the local media, he was also once charged with terrorism but was released after the court found him innocent.

In 2007 he was the former vice president of MDP religious council but resigned after alleging that the party was against Islam.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)