Category: Society & Culture

Reporters Without Borders condemns stabbing of Hilath Rasheed: “All the hallmarks of a targeted murder attempt”

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the stabbing of well-known Maldivian journalist and blogger Ismail ‘Hilath’ Rasheed.

Rasheed had his throat slashed outside his house in Male’ around 8:15pm on Monday night, and was rushed to ADK Hospital for emergency surgery. Sources at the hospital said that the attack severed his trachea (windpipe), missing a vital artery “by millimetres”, and initially gave him a five percent chance of survival.

Hospital staff stabilised Rasheed’s condition around 2:30am on Tuesday, and as of Wednesday evening his condition was said to be improving. An informed source told Minivan News that Rasheed was unable to speak due to his injuries, but had communicated with his parents in writing.

“This knife attack has all the hallmarks of a targeted murder attempt,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement.

“Rasheed has made many enemies through his outspoken blogging. The authorities in charge of the investigation should not rule out the possibility that this was linked to his journalistic activity. He is a well-known journalist who has repeatedly been censored, arrested and threatened.

“The police must, as a matter of urgency, put a stop to the harassment of Rasheed and take the issue of his safety seriously. Any lack of response on their part will constitute a criminal failure to assist a person in danger,” RSF stated.

The organisation noted that Rasheed had previously been attacked on December 10, 2011, suffering a fractured skull “while attending a peaceful demonstration in support of religious tolerance.”

“The police then arrested him for taking part in the demonstration and held him until 9 January,” RSF added, noting that Rasheed’s blog, www.hilath.com, had also been blocked on the orders of Ministry of Islamic Affairs on 19 November 2011 on the grounds that it contained “anti-Islamic” material.

“If it is confirmed that the attack was prompted by his journalism and blogging, Rasheed would be the first journalist to have been the target of a murder attempt in Maldives,” RSF observed.

The Maldives Journalist Association (MJA) has also condemned the attack on Rasheed.

“The violent attack on Hilath was an attempt to kill him. The association calls on the authorities to find those who had involved in this crime and bring them to justice,” the MJA stated.
“We call on the police and political figures of this country to stop quarrelling for power and make the country – especially the capital Male’ – a place where families and children can live without fear.”

The MJA added that if the trend of violent murders across the country continued, the resulting impact on the country’s tourism-based economy would be “irrevocable”.

Minister for Human Resources and spokesperson for former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Mohamed ‘Mundhu’ Shareef, told AFP that while the government condemned the attack, “Hilath must have known that he had become a target of a few extremists.”

“We are not a secular country. When you talk about religion there will always be a few people who do not agree,” Shareef said.

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef meanwhile said that while no arrests had been made, police had obtained CCTV footage of the area and were in the process of analysing it.

Police were also investigating the stabbing of a Bangladeshi man at 11pm on the same evening, Haneef said. The victim suffered minor injuries and was discharged from hospital on Tuesday.

The Maldives was ranked 73rd out of 179 countries in the 2011-2012 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. The country jumped from 148th in 2005 to 51st in 2009, following the introduction of multiparty democracy and freedom of expression.

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Police conclude investigation into Rf 18 million Sheesha fraud case

Police have completed the investigation into a case involving Rf18 million (US$1.2 million) that went missing from a State Bank of India (SBI) account of three brothers who own local motorcycle retailer, Sheesha.

The incident occurred in November 2011. The Criminal Court issued an Interpol red notice to apprehend three persons suspected to be involved in the case.

The names sent to the Prosecutor General were Ibrahim Shahid, 42 of Thulhadhoo in Baa Atoll, Mohamed Mustafa, 35 of Lhaimagu in Shaviyani Atoll and Mohamed Muthausim, 32 of the same island and Mohamed Rasheed Abdul Gadhir.

Police said the names of four other persons indirectly related to the case were also sent to the Prosecutor General.

Ibrahim Shahid of Baa Atoll Thulaadhoo, accused of stealing Rf18 million (US$1.1 million) from the State Bank of India (SBI) account was apprehended in Sri Lanka in February this year.

On November 24, 2011 the account owners discovered that several unauthorised transfers had been made from their joint personal savings account to an unidentified recipient, the first transaction being made on November 9.

Following the discovery the Sheesha brothers Ahmed Hassan Manik, Hussain Husham and Ibrahim Husham said the transfer had been made to a Bank of Maldives account with a forged document using Manik’s name. The brothers said they would sue SBI and requested the bank take full responsibility for the theft.

In November Hussain Husham told the media that the total amount of Rf 18 million was  in two transactions, with the first transaction made on November 9 with the withdrawal of Rf 8.5 million (US$551,000).

Later on December 20, the culprits withdrew a further Rf 9.5 million (US$616,000) from their account.

Hussain told the press at the time that SBI transferred the money to an account with the Bank of Maldives, using a forged document faxed to SBI.

He said the document had the name and signature of Ahmed Hassan Manik, and that the money transferred to Bank of Maldives account had already been withdrawn when they came to know about it.

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High Court ruling on Usfasgandu ruling not “setback” for government: Home Minister

Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed has said that a High Court ruling to uphold a Civil Court order preventing the dismantling of a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) protest camp at Male’s Usfasgandu area is not a “setback” to efforts to reclaim the land.

The camp was raided last Tuesday (May 29) by police after they obtained a Criminal Court search warrant to search the area under suspicion that criminal practices were performed on the site, including the practice of “black magic”. Under evidence, the warrant alleged that people in the Usfasgandu area had on May 25 thrown a “cursed rooster” at MNDF officers.

Shortly after the raid, the Civil Court ordered a halt to the ongoing removal of the camp with a temporary court injunction, after the MDP challenged the legality of the operation.  The Civil Court decision was later appealed by the state.

The temporary injunction was upheld today though by the High Court, which said there had been no grounds to amend the Civil Court’s order, according to local media.

However, Dr Jameel maintained that the Usfasgandu site, which was leased to the MDP by Male’ City Council (MCC), was in fact the property of the government, a position he claimed would ultimately be supported by the law.

“I am confident that a claim to [Usfasgandu’s] vacant possession will be granted by the courts as it has a clear position in law,” he told Minivan News.

Jameel added that it would not be his responsibility or decision to appeal against the High Court verdict.

“The decision to appeal is a matter for the attorney general to make,” he added.

Black magic

During the police raid of Usfasgandu last week, police collected evidence reported to include pieces of paper with Arabic inscriptions,  incense, a box of unused condoms, a discarded ‘Tiger’ beer can, and a laminated sheet containing photos of police officers marked with ‘ticks’ and ‘crosses’.

Questioned on whether the evidence gathered by police from Usfasgandu – including the alleged black magic paraphernalia – was sufficient to support the legal case to ultimately dismantle the camp in its entirety, Dr Jameel said it was a matter for the police to decide.

“We will have to wait and see for their conclusion on the matter,” he said, also addressing the concern of authorities about black magic being practiced by anti-government protesters: “I do not know whether anybody is more concerned about black magic than those who indulge in such outdated activities.”

MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor and MP Imthiyaz Fahmy were not responding to calls from Minivan News at time of press.

Stalemate

The fate of Usfasgandu represents an ongoing stalemate between the Home Ministry and Male’ City Council.

The Housing Ministry initially sought to repossess the area from the Council, which refused to cooperate. The Home Ministry then instructed police to retake the area, who approached the Criminal Court for a warrant. The court initially denied this warrant, stating that the repossession was a civil matter and not within its jurisdiction.

The Home Ministry has argued that leasing the area to a group for political purposes contravenes the deregulation act under which the land was granted to the MCC.

In a precursor to this issue, the previous area at Lonuziyaaraiy Kolhu used for the staging of the MDP’s operations, dubbed ‘Justice Square’, was dismantled by police and the MNDF on March 19. The subsequent court case was dismissed on a technicality and, after being re-submitted, has recently been delayed once again following for a similar reason.

The MCC has remained defiant, last month writing to the Police, the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) and the Housing Ministry, arguing that the area was fulfilling a pressing need for large numbers of people to conduct political activities without inconveniencing residents of Male’ City. It also dismissed the legal right of the government to claim the area.

The Housing Ministry has recently removed Sultan Park and the artificial beach area from the municipal council’s jurisdiction.

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Inter-atoll Athletics meet kicks off in Addu: “Important step to rehabilitate Addu city’s image”

The athletes strode  into the zone stadium at Addu City, proudly sporting their school colors, while being cheered on by public spectators, community leaders and officials.

The Maldives 17th Atoll Inter School Athletics Meet kicked off on Monday night in a colourful ceremony decorated with a spectacular laser show, music and dance. A total of  673 young athletes from 20 different schools across Maldives will be competing in the three-day sports event sponsored by Daily Milk.

As the excitement grows in Addu with athletes fighting to progress in to final rounds, a number of interested schools were reportedly unable to participate due to huge transportation costs.

According to the city council, this event is a “an important step to rehabilitate Addu city’s image”.

Addu, the second most heavily populated area in the Maldives after Male’ and the scene of the SAARC Summit in November 2011, was hit hard during the recent political crisis, as  reports of the protests, arrests and arson attacks on public and police property made international headlines.

But beyond the damage to reputation, the city was gripped by a violent social divide, which fragmented the long standing peace and threatened potential economic investments.

However, Mayor Sodiq said in an interview to Minivan News on Sunday that the athletics meet is a the beginning of a mission to restore the social harmony and create a better image for Addu.

“Following the recent political crisis, Addu has suffered social disintegration as the political friction intensified between different groups,” Sodiq observed.

“However, through social events like this, we aim to restore the peace, social harmony and encourage community participation in our city’s development.”

He noted that the athletics meet has already attracted participation from different public spheres.  Almost all the 1000 visitors who are currently in Addu for the competition are sharing homes with Addu families.

The business community has provided generous sponsorship to the athletics meet and the ongoing nigh market in the city.

Meanwhile, civil society also played a crucial role: “If TakeCare and Maavahi NGO  had not drafted the project proposal to host the athletics meet here, we might not be having this mega event in our city for the fifth time,” the Mayor noted.

The competition was first started in Addu in 1996 and since then it has been held in the souther-most atoll four times.

He added that the event was organised by a joint committee of athletics board officials, civil society and the city council, which was backed by almost 300 energetic youth volunteers.

“This event has provided us a unique opportunity to participate and gain valuable experience in organising a big event like this,”  said 18 year-old Ahmed Azaan, young member of the organising team.

“Others in the committee are an old crowd, so working with them, meeting people and doing the preparations – we are learning a lot.”

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Four arrested in connection with murder of 16 year-old boy

Four men have been arrested in connection with the murder of Mohamed Arham, 16, who was found murdered inside ‘Lorenzo Park’ last Wednesday.

Police Spokesperson Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef confirmed to Minivan News that four men were arrested, but declined to disclose further information.

‘’At this time police are trying to find more clues and information about the case. If further information is revealed it will be very easy to disrupt the investigation,’’ he said.

He said that at the time police had not yet decided to disclose the names of the arrested persons.

Arham’s body was discovered in the park around 6:00am last Wednesday by police officers patrolling the area.

“The body had many stab wounds and other injuries,” Haneef said.

Deputy Head of Specialist Command Mohamed Riyaz has previously told media that a police investigation into the stabbing murder of the 16 year-old boy was making progress.

The Education Ministry, Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) and police have condemned the attack on the boy.

Friends of Arham have meanwhile confirmed that he was in the park at night after all his friends left because he was too tired to go home, as he had just finished attending a camp that day.

Arham did not leave the park with his friends and may have fallen asleep in the park alone, and been attacked while he was asleep, according to some of Arham’s friends.

Arham’s body was found with stab wounds in his neck, back and chest with blood all over his body and on the ground, as well as on the walls of the park.

Neighbors living around the park have told the local media that at dawn that day they have heard the sound of someone wailing inside the park, but as it was usual to hear such noises in the area they did not pay much attention.

Mohamed Arham was a student at grade 9 in Dharmavantha School when he died.

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Prominent blogger Hilath Rasheed in critical condition after stabbing

Prominent Maldivian blogger and journalist Ismail ‘Hilath’ Rasheed is in a critical condition after he was stabbed in the neck near his house in Male’ on Monday evening.

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef confirmed that Rasheed was stabbed around 8:15pm and was undergoing emergency treatment in ADK hospital.

No arrests have been made, “however there is CCTV in the area and we are trying to get something on it,” Haneef stated.

Police had cordoned off the area around the blood-stained pavement at time of press. There was on Monday evening no indication as to the motivation of the attack.

An informed source at ADK hospital said Rasheed was bleeding but conscious when he was brought to the hospital, and that he was expected to remain in surgery until 2:30am.

“They slit his throat clean through the trachea, and missed a vital artery by millimetres,” the source said, around 11:30pm, giving Rasheed a “five percent chance …  It doesn’t look good.”

Early on Tuesday morning the source reported that Rasheed’s condition had stabilised: “He’ll be in intensive care for a couple of days. He’s breathing through a tube now.”

Sub-Inspector Haneef said a second individual was stabbed in the back at 11:00pm near Male’s garbage dump and had been taken to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in a critical condition. Local media reported that the victim was believed to be a Bangladeshi national.

Second attack

Rasheed, a once outspoken blogger against extremism and former editor of newspaper Haveeru, was previously attacked by a group of men on December 10, 2011 – Human Rights Day – while attending a protest calling for religious tolerance.

A group of men attacked the protesters with stones, and Rasheed was taken to IGMH with a fractured skull.

He was subsequently arrested by police for questioning over his involvement in the protest gathering, and jailed for over three weeks.

Amnesty International declared him a ‘prisoner of conscience’, and said it was “dismayed that instead of defending Ismail ‘Khilath’ Rasheed, who has peacefully exercised his right to freedom of the expression, the government of Maldives has detained him. Moreover, the government has taken no action to bring to justice those who attacked the ‘silent’ demonstrators, even though there is credible photographic evidence of the attack.”

The Foreign Ministry subsequently called for an investigation “by relevant authorities” into the attack on the protest.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also condemned both the December 10 attack on Rasheed and his arrest, noting that he was not only one of the country’s leading free speech advocates, but one of the few Maldivians bloggers to write under his own name.

“The Maldivian constitution bans the promotion of any religion other than Islam but guarantees freedom of assembly and expression as long as it does not contravene Islam. Rasheed professes to be an adherent of Sufism, which emphasises the inner, spiritual dimension of Islam,” RSF stated at the time.

Censored blogger

Rasheed’s popular and controversial blog, www.hilath.com, was blocked in November 2011 by the Communications Authority of the Maldives (CAM) on the order of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. The Ministry made the request on the grounds that the site contained anti-Islamic material, CAM confirmed at the time.

Hilath claimed he was being censored for expressing his version of Islam, and called for more freedom of interpretation within the faith.

“I call upon all concerned to amend the clause in the constitution which requires all Maldivians to be Sunni Muslims only,” his statement read. “‘Unto you your religion and unto me my religion,’ and ‘There is no compulsion in religion’,” he said, quoting Qur’an 109:6 and 2:256.

Hilath claimed at the time that the blocking of his website had a political edge: “If Sunni Muslims are the conservatives, then the Sufi Muslims are the liberals,” he told Minivan News. “I think this is a conservative attack on the site. They think if you’re not a Sunni, you’re an unbeliever.”

Following the blocking of his blog and his attack in December, Rasheed became less outspoken on the subject of religion and withdrew from the public spotlight.

On May 12 he tweeted his intention to stop blogging altogether, and stated that he had “repented and am now a Muslim. But a very tolerant one at that.”

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Police arrest suspected prostitutes inside Shaaha Alternative Medical Centre

Police last night raided Shaaha Alternative Medical Centre in Maafannu around 11:00pm, and arrested three Thai women for suspected prostitution.

Three Maldivian men and a Sri Lankan man, also inside Shaaha Alternative Medical Centre, were arrested along with the three Thai women.

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef told Minivan News that police raided the business after receiving an intelligence report that sexual activities were being conducted there.

‘’After police raided it they saw it was a place  used for sexual activities,’’ Haneef said, adding that police have now closed down the business.

He said that materials used to conduct such activities were discovered inside Shaaha Alternative Medical Centre.

“[Those arrested] have not been summoned to court yet, but they will be as soon we finish taking their statements,’’ he added.

In April police arrested two Thai women and two local men on prostitution charges after raiding a Male’-based business called ‘Maldivian Care’.

In March Police arrested five Thai nationals and three male Maldivians inside ‘Herbal Beauty Salon’, located on the second floor of Maafannu Sherrif.

Local media reported that this was the ninth business closed by police on charges of prostitution since President Dr Waheed Hassan Manik came to power.

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Legal reforms needed to curb corporal punishment of children: SAIVEC

The Maldives is among several nations in South Asia urgently in need of legal reforms to explicitly prohibit corporal punishment against children, according to a new report.

The report, “Prohibition of Corporal Punishment of Children in South Asia: A Progress Review”, jointly published by the Global Initiative, Save the Children Sweden and South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIVEC), the apex body of children under the South Asian Association for Regional Corporation (SAARC), aims to highlight a practice that kills and injures millions of children across the region.

Corporal punishment includes hitting, smacking or kicking, or any measure in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain and discomfort to the child. It also includes other non-physical forms of punishment which belittle, humiliate, threaten or ridicules the child. It is said to be the most common and widely accepted form of violence against children.

The report notes that none of the eight South Asian countries, including the Maldives, have passed comprehensive legislation to ban punitive violence experienced by children across all settings, including home, school, the penal system and alternative care.

Several government’s claim to support ending violence against children, while on the other hand they fail to prohibit violence disguised as discipline or punishment, Coordinator of Global Initiative Peter Newell noted.

Corporal punishment in the Maldives

Although there are no official statistics published on corporal punishment of children in the Maldives, a 2009 National Study of Violence Against Children, produced by UNICEF  involving over 17,000 people in 2,500 households and 2,000 children in schools,  found that 47 percent of children had experienced physical or emotional punishment at home, at school or in the community.
Thirty percent of children at secondary school had been hit by at least one of their caregivers, 21 percent with an object; eight percent of school students had been physically punished by their teachers.

However, the country review on Maldives highlighted that there is little or no legal defense for children to protect themselves, despite the high prevalence of punitive violence against children at homes, schools and other settings.

According to the two-page review, existing legal provisions against violence and abuse are not interpreted as prohibiting corporal punishment of children.

The report noted that the Maldives’ Law on the Protection of the Rights of the Child (1991) and Family Law (2000) prohibit only severe punishment which may harm the child while there is no legal defence for the use of corporal punishment by parents in the existing Penal Code.

Article 10 of the Child Rights Law states that punishment in school should be appropriate to the child’s age and should not affect them physically or psychologically and the Ministry of Education has stated that corporal punishment should not be used, the report reads.”But there is no explicit prohibition of corporal punishment in law,” it added.

Meanwhile, the review identified that corporal punishment is lawful as a sentence for crime in the Maldives.

Although the Law on the Protection of the Rights of the Child prohibits cruel and degrading punishment on children, and the Penal Code does not authorise judicial corporal punishment, the report noted that the Maldives Penal Code does not apply to offences under Sharia law or to certain other offences.

“The Regulation on Conducting Trials, Investigations and  Sentencing Fairly for Offences Committed by Minors (2006) states that children from the age of puberty may be held criminally responsible for committing apostasy, revolution against the state, fornication, falsely accusing a person of fornication, consumption of alcohol, unlawful intentional killing and other offences relating to homicide. These are offences for which hadd is prescribed in Islam, including flogging. From the age of 15, children can be convicted of a wider range of ofences under Sharia law,” SAIVEC further explained.

Corporal punishment is not prohibited as a disciplinary measure in penal institutions or alternative care homes either.

Therefore, in a similar call to other countries, SAIVEC recommended the Maldives bring urgent legal reform necessary to achieve prohibition in all settings.

“Legislation should explicitly prohibit corporal punishment in the home and in all education settings, all institutions  accommodating children in conflict with the law, all forms of alternative care, and as a sentence of the courts, including under Sharia law.”

Maldives commitments

The former Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) administration had  “partially accepted” recommendations made to abolish corporal punishment in the penal system during the Universal Periodic Review of the Maldives in 2010.

The government at the time stated that the new draft Penal Code was intended to combine Sharia law with international human rights obligations, although it includes provisions for corporal punishment, and stated that the Maldives will consult with national and international authorities on the compatibility of corporal punishment with the Maldives Constitution and international human rights law.

It also stated at a SAIVEC workshop in 2010 that a Children’s Bill was being drafted which would prohibit corporal punishment in all settings. An Education Bill would prohibit corporal punishment in schools, and regulations for children’s homes were being drafted which would include prohibition of corporal punishment. Consideration would also be given to abolition of judicial flogging, it stated.

However, few commitments transformed into action in the face of political pressure and growing religious conservatism, which ultimately provided a platform for the controversial ousting of the MDP government on February 7.

Meanwhile, at the South Asia Regional Consultation on the UN Study on Violence Against Children organised by SAIVEC in Colombo last week, officials from the present government  pledged to continue efforts to eliminate violence against children as per the international recommendations.

SAIVEC’s regional campaign was also launched at the conference in a bid to eliminate corporal punishment across the eight South Asian states, home to a quarter of the world’s children.

Director General of SAIVEC, Dr Rinchen Chopel called for a coordinated effort from all actors to address corporal punishment, using a holistic and coordinated approach, enacting laws, raising awareness and promoting positive parenting and teaching.

Dr Chopel described the wide social acceptance of corporal punishment as the biggest challenge. However he added: “The path to complete elimination of corporal punishment is long, but there are also sources of hope.”

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Investigation suggests stabbing murder of 16 year-old was gang attack: police

A police investigation into the stabbing murder of a 16 year-old boy in Male’ last week was making progress although no arrests have yet been made, according to Deputy Head of Specialist Command Mohamed Riyaz.

Speaking to the press at Iskandar Koshi, Riyaz said police had spoken to several people and visited places related to the death, and have gathered information that cannot be revealed at the time for fear of disrupting the investigation.

He said the information received so far suggested that the boy was killed in a gang attack, however he declined to provide further information.

Last Wednesday morning at around 6:00am two patrolling officers discovered the dead body of 16 year-old Mohamed Arham inside the park behind Kulliyathul Dhiraasathul Islamiyya.

His body was found with stab wounds in his neck, back and chest with blood all over his body and on the floor, as well as on the walls of the park.

Mohamed Arham was a student at grade 9 in Dharmavantha School when he died.

The Education Ministry, Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) and police have condemned the attack on the boy.

The park in which he was found dead is known locally as ‘Lorenzo Park’, named after a Male’ gang called ‘Lorenzo’.

Minivan News understands that park is usually used by members or friends of the gang, and that it is very uncommon to find outside visitors sitting in the park.

Friends of Arham have said that he was in the park that night after all his friends left because he was too tired to go home, as he had just finished attending a camp that day.

Arham did not leave the park with his friends and might have fallen asleep in the park alone and assailants may have attacked him while he was asleep, according to some of Arham’s friends.

A friend of Arham’s told Minivan News that they were not sure why he was attacked or who attacked him, because he not had any issues with anyone recently and there was no warning of any attack.

‘’He must have been attacked between 2:00am to 6:00am that night,’’ he added. ‘’That time he would have been by himself in the park because everyone left around 2:00.’’

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