Month: July 2012

Commonwealth Envoy expresses concern at “rising political tension” in the Maldives

The Commonwealth Secretary General’s Special Envoy to the Maldives, Sir Donald McKinnon, has expressed concern at “rising political tension” in the Maldives –  specifically over ongoing street protests and the criminal charges filed against ousted President Mohamed Nasheed.

Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has taken to the streets for the tenth consecutive day calling for an early election, alleging the former President was deposed in a coup detat on February 7.  Police have clashed violently with protesters resulting in injury to police and public as well as the arrest of hundreds of protesters. However, President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan has insisted the earliest constitutionally permitted date in which fresh polls can be held is July 2013.

Meanwhile, Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizz on Monday filed criminal charges against Nasheed for his alleged role in the detention of Criminal Court Chief Justice Abdulla Mohamed in January.

The Commonwealth’s Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) has urged for early elections to be held in 2012, and has played a crucial role in the reconstitution of the Commission of National Inquiry (CNI), set up to investigate the controversial transfer of power.  The composition was changed after the Commonwealth raised concerns over the body’s impartiality during its first iteration. The CNI is expected to release its report by the end of August.

In a statement released yesterday, Sir Donald called for dialogue among political leaders, urging all parties to show “restraint and restore calm.”

“It is absolutely essential that all relevant actors in Maldives refrain from any actions that could jeopardise the stable environment necessary to allow the Commission of National Inquiry to complete its work and produce an outcome within the stipulated time-frame,” he said.

“Restore calm”

Sir Donald added that he has been in contact with President Waheed and Mohamed Nasheed to discuss the MDP’s ongoing protests, along with the response by security forces to these demonstrations and the charges filed against the former president.

“What is very much needed in Maldives right now is for all concerned to show restraint and restore calm. Any actions that create or exacerbate political instability cannot be helpful to the national interest, including in the difficult economic circumstances at the moment in the country and the global context,” Sir Donald said.

The Maldives is facing a foreign currency shortage, plummeting investor confidence, spiraling expenditure, a drop off in foreign aid and a crippling budget deficit of 27 percent.

Speaking on the need for a stable environment for the CNI to complete its work, and urging all parties to refrain from jeopardising the commission’s efforts, Sir Donald said: “We have all invested a huge amount of time, energy and resources in reconstituting the Commission of National Inquiry, to establish the truth about the events of 7 February 2012 and help Maldives move forward. The international community has been supportive of these efforts.”

Hence, Sir Donald has called on Maldivian leaders to engage in dialogue, stating that “Ultimately, any resolution of contentious political issues in Maldives can only come about through inclusive political dialogue.”

“I therefore urge the leaders of Maldives to engage in genuine dialogue, with the interest of the people of Maldives in mind,” he added.

MDP Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Gafoor welcomed the Special Envoy’s statement, but said that MDP protests would continue. “You must remember our protests are non-violent and are aimed at restoring political stability,” he told Minivan News.

Stalemate

Sir Donald’s comments come at a time when renewed attempts at restarting the All-Party talks appear at a stalemate.

The talks were conceived as one of two internationally-backed mechanisms – alongside the CNI – to resolve the political deadlock in the Maldives following the controversial transfer of power on February 7.

The Convenor of the All-Party talks, Ahmed Mujuthaba, on July 12 announced that a series of “high-level” discussions will be held between President Waheed and the leaders of the largest political parties after sixteen previous attempts had resulted in “no breakthrough.”

However, a spokesperson for President Waheed on Tuesday said the president will not hold talks with Nasheed as long as street protests continue, condemning the protests as an “act of terrorism.”

Meanwhile, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom – who served as the country’s autocratic leader for 30 years up to 2008 – said he would not negotiate with Nasheed.  Gayoom claimed that Nasheed had made baseless comments about him in both the local and the international community, particularly that the former President had masterminded a “coup d’état” on February 7.

Nasheed subsequently released a statement on Monday arguing that his allegations were based on public statements made by Gayoom and those closely affiliated with him politically, including his family members – many of whom now hold senior positions in government. Nasheed then offered to apologize if Gayoom agreed to participate in the all-party talks.

“Given that not for a single moment would I wish for someone unelected by the people of Maldives to entertain himself as leader to them, I believe now is the time for all parties to come forth in support of the best interest of the nation and its citizens, and as such, if President Gayoom indeed was not party to the coup, I have decided to apologise to President Gayyoom for the fact that I said he was behind this coup,” Nasheed said in his statement.

However, Gayoom told local media today that he believed Nasheed’s apology was “insincere” and has asked Nasheed to issue a formal apology on local and international media.

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US and UK must consult Maldives judiciary over dropping Nasheed charges: government

The government has said it will “not interfere” with the Maldives’ judiciary amidst calls from the US and UK to drop charges against former President Mohamed Nasheed, alleging that requests may have been made by diplomats with “sympathies” for the one-time head of state.

President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad told Minivan News that requests had been made by UK and US officials to drop charges against Mohamed Nasheed over his potential role in the controversial detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed earlier this year.

However, Masood added that any such requests needed to be addressed to the country’s judiciary, reiterating a previous pledge by President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan that his administration would not interfere with judicial process.

“We promised, as you may remember, that we will not interfere in the running of the country’s judiciary,” he said.

“Sympathies”

Masood also raised doubts whether calls to drop the charges were an official request of the UK or US governments, rather than the views of individual elements in either nations’ respective embassies based in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

“I do not believe that it is the UK and US governments that have made this request, I think it is the embassies themselves,” he alleged. “Maybe they have sympathies for Nasheed.”

The comments were made after China’s Xinhua news agency reported yesterday that the US Embassy of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, as well as its UK counterpart based in the country, asked that the former president not face charges that could potentially exclude him from standing in the next general election presently scheduled for next year.

The UK High Commission was not responding at time of press, while a US Embassy spokesperson said the embassy had no comment on the matter.

Nasheed, along with former Defense Minister Tholhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaanu both face charges for their alleged roles in the detention of Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed.  The charges were filed this week by Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizz.

The detention, which the former government claimed had been made over concerns about “national security” owing to allegations that Judge Abdulla was involved in perjury and “blatant collusion” with the previous administration, was widely criticised by international bodies at the time.

On Sunday, (July 15), Nasheed himself claimed to Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters that he did not wish to see the charges presented against him withdrawn for any reason.

“I, as the president of this country and as the presidential nominee of the MDP, worked for the benefit of the Maldivian people, for their well-being and to fulfil the needs of the people of the Maldives. I have not done anything to further my own interests during my tenure as president,” Nasheed said.

He also called on the public  to be present at his trial and witness what happened in the court, alleging that the whole case was politically motivated and that his opponents were seeking to gain an unfair upper hand from the “political scandal”.

“This case is a case that I wanted to see coming. This is a case that I want to face myself. I will not back down from this case,” he said.

Nasheed has joined MDP supporters on numerous occasions during more than a weeks worth of consecutive daily protests in Male’ calling for the present government to step down and hold early elections on the back of the controversial transfer of power in February.

The MDP continues to allege that it was removed from office in a “coup d’etat” sponsored by mutinous elements of the police and military, as well as former opposition politicians.

Judicial Reform

While the Waheed administration has publicly stressed that it would not seek to tamper with the running of the nation’s judiciary, the UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) has identified the courts among a number of areas that need to be overhauled of part of “radical changes” to ensure compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The committee is “deeply concerned about the state of the judiciary in the Maldives,” a statement released by the UNHRC this week noted.

“The state has admitted that this body’s independence is seriously compromised.  The Committee has said the judiciary is desperately in need of more serious training, and higher standards of qualification,” the statement read.

The Supreme Court in particular needed “radical readjustment,” the committee said. “As 6 of 7 Supreme Court judges are experts in Sharia law and nothing more, this court in particular is in need of radical readjustment.  This must be done to guarantee just trials, and fair judgements for the people of Maldives.”

A panel member during the UNHRC session also noted the “troubling role of the judiciary at the centre” of the controversial transfer of power on February 7.

“The judiciary – which is admittedly in serious need of training and qualifications – is yet seemingly playing a role leading to the falling of governments,” he observed.

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UN Office for Human Rights expresses concern over use of excessive force against demonstrators

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed concern over violent protests and use of “excessive force” against demonstrators.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Spokesperson for High Commissioner Navi Pillay, Rupert Colville, observed that “instances of apparent brutality have been captured on camera. These include the seemingly deliberate and uncalled-for use of some kind of spray on former President [Mohamed] Nasheed, and the driving of police vehicles at high speed into crowds of protesters.”

“Such actions deserve immediate investigation, and firm action should be taken by the authorities against those responsible for excessive use of force,” stated Colville. “We appeal to all parties to refrain from violence and create conditions for political dialogue and reconciliation.”

Police initially denied pepper-spraying former President Nasheed during a rally on July 14.

“Maldives Police did not use any excessive force nor was pepper spray directed to anyone’s face,” police said in a statement.

However a video released of the incident showed a riot police officer reaching over a crowd of people surrounding Nasheed and spraying him in the face. Nasheed turns away as the spray hits him, and is taken away by his supporters, but later returned to the protest.

President’s Office Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza said the government had no comment on the matter as it was under investigation, “and in due course the Human Rights Minister [Dhiyana Saeed] will address the concerns.”

The UN Office for Human Rights also noted the criminal charges that had been brought against Nasheed concerning his detention of Chief Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed during his final days in office.

“We… stress that any such matters must be handled with full respect to the due process rights and fair trial safeguards guaranteed by the Maldives’ Constitution and international human rights treaty obligations,” Colville stated.

In a statement, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) criticised the charges as “politically-motivated, and designed to remove the current regime’s political opponents from the public sphere.”

“International bodies including the UN Human Rights Committee and the International Committee of Jurists have also voiced serious doubts as to the independence and impartiality of the judiciary; showing that it will be impossible to conduct a fair trial,” the party said.

During the Maldives’ defence of its human rights record before the UN Human Rights Committee earlier this week, a panel member noted the “troubling role of the judiciary at the center” of the controversial transfer of power on February 7.

“The judiciary – which is admittedly in serious need of training and qualifications – is yet seemingly playing a role leading to the falling of governments,” he observed.

In a preliminary statement following the Maldives’ appearance, the Committee said it was “deeply concerned” about the state of the judiciary.

The State has admitted that this body’s independence is seriously compromised. The Committee has said the judiciary is desperately in need of more serious training, and higher standards of qualification. As 6 of 7 Supreme Court judges are experts in Sharia law and nothing more, this court in particular is in need of radical readjustment. This must be done to guarantee just trials, and fair judgments for the people of Maldives,” the Committee stated.

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MDP Women’s Wing protest against alleged sexual harassment, call for Fahmy’s resignation

The Women’s Wing of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) gathered outside the government Velaanaage building yesterday in protest at alleged workplace sexual harassment faced by females.

The protest was held after Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chair Mohamed Fahmy Hassan was last week requested to stand down from the position after an Independent Institutions Oversight Committee vote on accusations he harassed a female member of staff at the commission.

Fahmy has continued to refute the allegations, which he claims are “politically motivated”.

The MDP stated that the protest was held to stand against sexual harassment faced by Maldivian women at the workplace.  The group also demanded the resignation of Fahmy within the 14 day time period requested by the parliament Independent Committee.  The 14 days will be up next Wednesday (July 25).

Around two dozen protesters gathered outside Velaanaage at about 2:00pm yesterday, with the demonstration reportedly ending peacefully two hours later.

Protesters were seen holding banners calling on the immediate resignation of CSC Chair Fahmy and other banners mostly expressing disappointment for Fahmy still being in the position.

After parliament’s Independent Commissions Oversight Committee concluded its investigation into the case, the decision was taken to forward the issue to the parliament floor should Fahmy not resign within the 14 days.

Local newspaper ‘Haveeru’ have speculated that there was a chance that Fahmy will not lose his postion as the Chair of the CSC if the issue was presented to the parliament floor. The newspaper reported that Fahmy has close relations with government-aligned MPs that dominate the Majlis chamber, according to some political figures.

In the parliament committee meeting, five MPs voted against taking action against Fahmy and the other five MPs voted in support of taking action against Fahmy and the vote was even.

In such situations where the vote appears even, the regulations obliges the Chair of the committee to vote. It was decided ultimately that action should be taken against Fahmy was passed after the Chair of the committee Independent MP Mohamed Nasheed voted in favor taking action against Fahmy.

The committee took the decision on July 11.

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Maldives “needs radical changes”: UN Human Rights Committee

The UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) has recommended “radical changes” to Maldivian law to ensure compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). These changes include the abolition of the death penalty, compensation for “systematic and systemic torture,” withdrawal of reservations to the ICCPR’s Article 18 regarding freedom of religion and belief, and reforming the country’s judiciary.

Following a “Incendiary” session focused on the state of human rights in the Maldives on July 12 and 13, the committee published a preliminary statement calling on the Maldives to “be serious about bringing itself into compliance with all aspects” of the ICCPR as a “critical step” to respect and protect human rights of all the people in the Maldives.

The Human Rights Committee will make a final report at the end of its session on July 27.

The Maldivian delegation to the UNHRC was headed by Home Minister Dr Mohamed Jameel, a former Justice Minister during the 30 year rule of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and co-author of a pamphlet entitled ‘President Nasheed’s devious plot to destroy the Islamic faith of Maldivians’, published in January 2012.

Dr Jameel was accompanied by State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dunya Maumoon – Gayoom’s daughter – as well as the Maldives’ Permanent Representative in Geneva, Iruthisham Adam.

Article 18

The UNHRC raised concern over the state’s reservation to Article 18 regarding freedom of religion and belief, claiming the reservation “implicates a host of intertwining social, political, and cultural issues” which will not be resolved until the state agrees to withdraw this reservation.

During the committee session, Dunya had said the Maldives did not plan to withdraw the reservation to Article 18 as the Maldives Constitution stipulated that rights and freedoms be interpreted according to Islamic Sharia.

However, the statement noted that allowing Islamic tenets of the Constitution to definitively supersede the human rights enshrined in the ICCPR “will mean a continued lack of protection for the human rights of the people of the Maldives.”

The Maldives delegation had stressed that the country was a homogeneous society and spoke one language and followed one religion, adding there was therefore no debate in Maldivian society regarding the removal of the provision relating to freedom of religion.

“This is not dogmatic government policy or preference, but rather a reflection of the deep societal belief that the Maldives always has been and always should be a 100 percent Muslim nation. Laws, like government, should be based on the will of the people,” Dunya said.

“Systematic and systemic torture”

Incidents of torture in the Maldives “appear systematic and systemic,” the UNHRC statement noted, and expressed “grave concern” about the low number of cases that have undergone investigation.

The committee has urged the Maldives to set up an independent Commission of Inquiry to conduct criminal investigations and ensure compensation for all victims of torture.

The panel also drew on a report submitted by anti-torture NGO REDRESS, containing testimonies of 28 victims of torture while in state custody.

“Forms of torture and ill-treatment included the use of suspension, lengthy use of stocks, being beaten with fists and bars, kicked, blindfolded, handcuffed, the dislocation of joints and breaking of bones, being forced to roll and squat on sharp coral, being drowned or forced into the sea, being put in a water tank, being burned, having bright lights shone in eyes, being left outside for days while tied or handcuffed to a tree, being covered in sugar water or leaves to attract ants and goats, and in one case being tied to a crocodile’s cage. Sexual assault and humiliation was also routinely used. Many testimonies suggest the only limit to the torture and ill-treatment imposed was the imagination of those whose control they were under,” a UNHRC panel member read at last week’s session.

“Surely this is something that refers to before 2008,” the panel member stated, “but the [present government] has a responsibility to pursue and investigate and bring to justice if these [allegations] are indeed correct. If there is an atmosphere of impunity regarding torture, I would offer that the present situation would not be treated differently by those who would want to violate the office they have, and abuse those under their care, or those going peacefully about their business.”

In response, Jameel said any citizen could bring their grievances before the judiciary and said any question of compensation could jeopardize the Maldives’ state budget.

Death Penalty

The UNHRC has asked the Maldivian state to enact legislation to officially abolish the death penalty. “The state itself has admitted that capital punishment does not deter crime,” the statement noted.

Jameel himself has previously stated the government was prepared to implement the death penalty following the murder of lawyer Ahmed Najeeb. Attorney General Aishath Azima Shakoor and the Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz have publicly endorsed their support for implementing capital punishment to deter increasing crime rates.

However, Jameel told the UNHRC no official government discussion existed on the matter.

“This year alone we have had seven murders in a country of 350,000. The country is really struggling to address this surge of crime. It is in the light of these occurrences that this debate has occurred. There is no official government discussion, but there are scattered debates across every section of society,” Jameel said.

Judiciary Reform

The committee is “deeply concerned about the state of the judiciary in the Maldives,” the statement noted.

“The state has admitted that this body’s independence is seriously compromised.  The Committee has said the judiciary is desperately in need of more serious training, and higher standards of qualification,” the statement read.

The Supreme Court in particular needed “radical readjustment,” the committee said.

“As 6 of 7 Supreme Court judges are experts in Sharia law and nothing more, this court in particular is in need of radical readjustment.  This must be done to guarantee just trials, and fair judgments for the people of Maldives.”

A panel member during the UNHRC session also noted the “troubling role of the judiciary at the center” of the controversial transfer of power on February 7.

“The judiciary – which is admittedly in serious need of training and qualifications – is yet seemingly playing a role leading to the falling of governments,” he observed.

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Allegations in audit report “politically motivated, misleading, ill-informed, and anachronistic”: Dr Shaheed

Former Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed has said allegations based around a 2010 Ministry of Foreign Affairs audit report claiming he illegally abused expenses are “politically motivated, misleading, ill-informed, and anachronistic.”

The audit report released this week alleged that a senior advisor to the Maldives mission to the UN in New York – hired under a two-year contract on August 30, 2010 when Dr Shaheed was Foreign Minister – left to work for Dr Shaheed in July 2011 upon his appointment as UN Special Rapporteur on Iran.

The report noted that such posts were neither part of the civil service nor considered political appointees, adding that the advisor was hired without a public announcement seeking qualified candidates.

Under the contract, the senior advisor was to receive US$2,672 a month as salary and allowances from September to December 2010 and US$3,672 a month from January 2011 onward.

However, on July 20, 2011, the Foreign Ministry sent a letter to the UN mission, the report noted, informing them that the advisor had been dismissed from the post as she would begin working for the Special Rapporteur on Iran “during the 6-month notice period”.

While approximately Rf800,000 (US$51,880) was spent out of the mission’s budget for salaries and benefits for the senior advisor, the report noted that “no information regarding the work could be seen from official documentation”.

“Misleading”

In an email to Minivan News, Dr Shaheed explained that the senior advisor was a foreign national who was an expert on international relations and diplomacy, slamming the audit report as “politically motivated and phrased to mislead the public.”

Shaheed claimed there would be “ample paper trail on the work she did for the Maldives from August 2010 to July 2011.”

“She was hired on the same basis as other expatriate advisors hired by the Maldives in diplomatic missions, and were political appointees,” he said, adding that the senior advisor resigned in July 2011 despite the audit report claiming the contract was terminated.

While the senior advisor began working for Dr Shaheed “pro bono” in August 2011, “this has nothing to do with the Maldives Mission. She or I have not benefited from any government facilities in our work,” Dr Shaheed insisted.

“It would have been normal for the Maldives government, having nominated me for the post of UN Special Rapporteur to assist me with my work, but this was not done,” he continued.

“If a letter was written by Minister Naseem to the Ambassador in New York to say that the Advisor who was sacked would be working for me, it would have been to indicate to the staff of the Mission that she was sacked immediately, rather than at the end of the 6-month notice period she was entitled to.

“Obviously, the Mission of Maldives in New York will have no record of any work done for me because she was not working in the premises of the Maldives mission, nor as its staff member.”

On the allegation that she was hired without a public announcement, Dr Shaheed said that she was “head hunted and had come in initially to run the campaign for the Human Rights Council which we won with flying colours in May 2010.”

“It as on this basis that she was hired in August, effectively in a bid to keep her from competitive offers of another diplomatic mission in New York. Advisors are not civil servants and are therefore political posts. A contract had to signed to meet with legal requirements of the United States,” he added.

On Rf235,001 (US$15,240) spent out of the office budget to pay the Foreign Minister’s mobile phone bill in 2010, despite parliament not having approved such an allowance for ministers, Dr Shaheed noted that the audit report referred to regulations passed by parliament on December 28, 2010, “two weeks after I resigned from office.”

“The old practice was for the government to pay the mobile phones of ministers,” he added.

Dr Shaheed served as foreign minister in former President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration from November 11, 2008 to December 12, 2010, when he resigned after not receiving parliament’s consent for his reappointment following the en masse cabinet resignation in July 2010.

Violations of public finance law

The Foreign Ministry’s 2010 audit report meanwhile highlighted 48 cases of alleged violations of the Public Finance Act and regulations under the law.

Among the issues raised in the report were discrepancies between the ministry’s financial statement and the Finance Ministry ledger; hiring of interns for the ministry and foreign missions without public announcements, including children and relatives of senior government officials; lack of details on Rf85.5 million (US$5.5 million) spent on foreign missions in 2010; incurring a fine of Rf28,862 (US$1,871) for unpaid utility bills; lack of “necessary internal controls” in accordance with public finance regulations on the ministry’s expenditures; and failure to properly maintain income records and stock inventories.

In April 2011, the report revealed, the Maldives embassy in China used approximately Rf600,000 (US$38,910) of free aid granted by the China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC) to purchase a “Hyundai Santa Fe” vehicle with an additional Rf100,000 (US$6,485) from the embassy budget.

Moreover, in June 2011, the embassy in China sold a car registered to it without prior approval and has not deposited the proceeds from the sale to the state’s revenue account as of the report’s publication date.

The audit also discovered that the ministry spent in excess of the approved accommodation, travel and utility allowances for senior staff at foreign missions.

Furthermore, a total of Rf494,293 (US$32,055) was spent on mobile phone bills for senior staff at the ministry although it could not be determined whether all calls made from the 13 post-paid lines were for official purposes.

As some employees used roaming services on overseas trips, the report noted, phone bills reached over Rf30,000 (US$1,945) in some months.

“Therefore, [the Auditor General’s Office] believes that this is an opportunity to misuse state funds without any control,” the report stated.

Addressing the irregularities raised in the audit, Dr Shaheed meanwhile argued that “some of the assumptions and conclusions are clearly false.”

“The report also fails to note or establish lines of financial accountability, unfairly exposing civil servants and politicians to unwarranted and malicious attacks on their reputation and integrity,” he said. “However, the report does identify a number of systemic deficits that need to be addressed too, and which do not result from lack of integrity of the persons involved,  and I am happy that a number of those matters have been highlighted.”

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MDP detainees on hunger strike in response to alleged “police brutality”

Six Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters arrested for allegedly throwing stones at the motorcade of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom’s motorcade while he was visiting Addu City have declared themselves on hunger strike as of yesterday afternoon.

In a statement, the MDP said that the six supporters, which include elected Addu City Councilor Ahmed Mirzadh, as well as his father and brother, began the strike yesterday at 4:00pm after being detained on suspicion of throwing stones at the former president and present head of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

An MDP statement claimed that the detained supporters had launched the hunger strike in protest at allegations of police torture whilst in custody.

Abdulla Haseen, Lawyer of Councilor Mirzad said his client was detained for allegedly throwing stones at former President Gayoom’s motorcade, adding that he was very worried about the arrest.

‘’He’s an elected councilor. He is not a violent criminal. He’s a very responsible man,” Haseen said adding that the court has granted an extension of his detention period to ten days.

Police have meanwhile confirmed that the detained MDP supporters were on a hunger strike.

Police Sub-Inspector Hasssan Haneef has said that although the detainees have declared themselves on hunger strike, authorities had been providing them food as scheduled.

Meanwhle, Addu City Council has issued a statement calling for the immediate release of the arrested councillor.

The statement alleged that the motive behind the arrest was to “narrow” the powers of the Addu City Council, which also condemned the brutality of the “coup government” of President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan.

Since February’s transfer of power, the MDP and former President Mohamed Nasheed have continued to allege that the previous government was removed from office in a “coup” by mutinous elements of the police and military, along with then opposition politicians.

The council also claimed that the current government was envious of Addu City Council, alleging that all the development projects launched by Mohamed Nasheed’s government have been stopped under the present administration.

Yesterday, Police Superintendent Abdulla Nawaz said that a total of 181 persons have been arrested so far in ongoing protests during the last week.  A total of 21 persons are still said to be in police custody after being detained during the protests, which have at times escalated into violent confrontations.

Nawaz alleged that MDP supporters have been conducting criminal activities in the protests, including attacking police officers and vandalizing the property of civilians.

He alleged that protesters have been attacking police officers and using foul language against riot police.  Nawaz conversely denied that police have attacked or used foul language against anti-government protesters during more than seven days of consecutive demonstrations.

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Turkmenistan delegation meets with President Waheed

Economic development was among the key areas of discussion during a meeting between cabinet minsters from Turkmenistan and the government of President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan in Male’ yesterday.

According to the President’s Office website, a high level delegation including Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, Hojamuhammet Muhammedov arrived in Male’ as part of a visit to potentially extend relations with the Maldives.

A dinner hosted by the president was held later in the evening at the Kurumba Maldives resort.  The event was attended by First Lady Ilham Hussain, and dignitaries including cabinet representatives of both countries, the President’s Office said.

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MNDF Brigadier General, Maldives EU Ambassador resign from government

Brigadier General Ibrahim Mohamed Didi of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) submitted his resignation yesterday, a day after the Prosecutor General (PG) announced his intention to press charges against the decorated general over the military’s detention of Judge Abdulla Mohamed.

His resignation was followed today by Maldives Ambassador to the EU, Ali Hussain Didi ‘Alidi’.

Hussain is the fourth senior Maldivian diplomat to resign from the coalition government of President Mohamed Waheed, following in the footsteps of Maldives’ Ambassador to the US and United Nations Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed, High Commissioner to the UK Dr Farhanaz Faizal, and Deputy High Commissioner to the UK Naushad Waheed Hassan – President Waheed’s brother.

Meanwhile a statement by the MNDF yesterday confirmed that Didi, who was serving as the MNDF southern area commander, requested retirement or honourable discharge from the army.

Didi’s resignation after 32 years of service follows in the wake of the Prosecutor General’s Office filing criminal charges against former President Mohamed Nasheed and former Defence Minister Tholhath Ibrahim Kaleyfan for allegedly ordering the arrest of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed on January 16.

Nasheed and Tholhath were charged with violating Article 81 of the Penal Code, which states that the detention of a government employee who has not been found guilty of a crime is illegal, an offence that carries either a three-year jail term, banishment or a MVR2,000 fine (US$129.70).”

In a statement on Sunday, PG Ahmed Muizz said he intends to press the same charges against former Chief of Defense Forces Moosa Ali Jaleel, Brigadier General Ibrahim Mohamed Didi and Colonel Mohamed Ziyad for their role in detaining the judge.

Local media has reported that the charges were filed at the Hulhumale’ magistrate court today.

Didi, 51, was serving as the Male’ area commander at the time of Judge Abdulla’s arrest and was transferred to the southern area command following the controversial transfer of power on February 7.

Judge Abdulla was accused of political bias, obstructing police, stalling cases, links with organised crime and “taking the entire criminal justice system in his fist” to protect key figures of the former dictatorship from facing justice for alleged human rights abuses and “high-profile corruption cases”.

Brigadier General Didi meanwhile told local daily Haveeru yesterday that he decided to resign out of respect for the military uniform as he did not wish to attend court and face charges in MNDF uniform.

“I’ve always respected the military uniform during my entire 32 years of service in the military. It’s my belief that I must be present in court after removing the uniform. I do not wish to face the court while wearing this uniform,” Didi was quoted as saying.

Didi noted that the highlight of his military career was defending the nation during the failed coup attempt on November 3, 1988. He was subsequently awarded a medal for bravery.

Didi declined to comment on the arrest of Judge Abdulla.

Didi becomes the third senior military official to retire from active service after Chief of Defence Forces Moosa Ali Jaleel and Vice Chief of Defence Force Brigadier General Farhath Shaheer in February.

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