15 Minutes Interviews: Tanya Husney

Minivan News spends 15 minutes with Tanya Husney (Taani), the former wife of democracy detainee Abdulla Rasheed (IC) who was transferred to house arrest this week after 100 days in solitary confinement. Taani was interviewed in her home in Colombo, where she currently lives with their ten-year-old son, Thaim.
1) Many Maldivians know you as an apolitical person but you have been active recently, campaigning for the release of the pro-democracy detainees. Why is this?
I’ve not been a political person before and I’ve never wanted to get into politics but now I feel that I have no choice. My closest family, people I grew up with, have all been taken to jail for doing nothing other than standing up for their beliefs and doing the right thing.
They have been imprisoned, tortured and made out to be criminals when they’ve done nothing wrong. I felt I had no choice but to stand up for them, I felt I had to do something right, not only for my family and friends but also for our people.
After Evan Naseem’s death I didn’t want to believe that all this torture was going on. I didn’t want to believe that Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, as President, would allow these things to happen in Maldivian jails. I just couldn’t believe it could happen. In my eyes Gayoom was the perfect President and I had a lot of respect for him. After Jenny Latheef was arrested and these reports of torture continued to come out I was forced to start thinking. After Black Friday – and watching the suffering my own child has had to go through because his father [IC] was arrested that day – I was forced to face reality and break out of my state of self-denial. I realised that we have no human rights in the Maldives.
2) Amnesty International and the Maldivian Human Right Commission have reported that many of the detainees have suffered gross human rights abuses whilst in jail. Who do you think should take responsibility for this?
Maumoon for one should take the blame. He is the President of the country and all powers are concentrated in him. Naturally he has to take the ultimate responsibility for what happens.
3) And I believe that you have heard of the abuse that your ex-husband, IC, has suffered?
Yes, I know with absolute certainty he has suffered. He was beaten so badly during his arrest that he had to be rushed to hospital, suffering from semi-paralysis in his legs, chest pains and breathing difficulties. This has been extremely upsetting for all of us, especially our ten year-old son. Normally IC will come to visit him here in Sri Lanka or at least calls him from Male’ but obviously he hasn’t been able to do this whilst he’s been in jail. Until IC’s transferal to house arrest this week, our son kept asking why Bappa had not been released, why Bappa was still there [jailed] when the other prisoners have been released. It’s been a very traumatic experience for him.
4) The Attorney General has publicly stated that he plans to press ahead with charging many of the August detainees. Dr Shaheed has said that the detainees were engaged in ‘mob violence’. Can you comment on that?
I’m amazed how blatantly our politicians lie. I just can’t believe they really think the Black Friday detainees are criminals, especially an educated man like Dr Shaheed. Where have they studied? More to the point, what have they learnt? People like Dr Shaheed, how could he turn a blind eye to the real truth and lie to the whole world? Everybody knows he is lying. When there is endemic corruption in the Maldives, when people are allowed to get away with torture, murder and rape – why doesn’t Dr Shaheed ever admit to or talk about that?
5) What future do you see for your country?
With this regime in power, I don’t see anything to be positive about. They will never be able change unless we, the people, stand up as we did on the 12-13th August and do something about this.
6) Are you advocating violence?
No. I’m a non-violent person, a Gandhian. There was no violence on the 12-13th demonstration except by paid sympathisers of the regime. I would never advocate violent protest but I fully support civil disobedience. We need to get out of this feudal way of thinking and realise that we have god-given rights and we must stand up for them.
7) If you could give a message to President Gayoom and his associates right now, what would it be?
My advice would be firstly, that the people you have detained are not criminals so let them go. Secondly, I would ask him to allow Maldivians the rights other people have, the rights people here in Sri Lanka have for example. I would ask him to allow free elections for President – not with just one name on the ballot paper – and allow us the freedom to speak and think what we like and the freedom to peacefully demonstrate. My advice would be to give the people their rights, which are enshrined in our constitution.

Minivan News spends 15 minutes with Tanya Husney (Taani), the former wife of democracy detainee Abdulla Rasheed (IC) who was transferred to house arrest this week after 100 days in solitary confinement. Taani was interviewed in her home in Colombo, where she currently lives with their ten-year-old son, Thaim.

1) Many Maldivians know you as an apolitical person but you have been active recently, campaigning for the release of the pro-democracy detainees. Why is this?

I’ve not been a political person before and I’ve never wanted to get into politics but now I feel that I have no choice. My closest family, people I grew up with, have all been taken to jail for doing nothing other than standing up for their beliefs and doing the right thing.

They have been imprisoned, tortured and made out to be criminals when they’ve done nothing wrong. I felt I had no choice but to stand up for them, I felt I had to do something right, not only for my family and friends but also for our people.

After Evan Naseem’s death I didn’t want to believe that all this torture was going on. I didn’t want to believe that Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, as President, would allow these things to happen in Maldivian jails. I just couldn’t believe it could happen. In my eyes Gayoom was the perfect President and I had a lot of respect for him. After Jenny Latheef was arrested and these reports of torture continued to come out I was forced to start thinking. After Black Friday – and watching the suffering my own child has had to go through because his father [IC] was arrested that day – I was forced to face reality and break out of my state of self-denial. I realised that we have no human rights in the Maldives.

2) Amnesty International and the Maldivian Human Right Commission have reported that many of the detainees have suffered gross human rights abuses whilst in jail. Who do you think should take responsibility for this?

Maumoon for one should take the blame. He is the President of the country and all powers are concentrated in him. Naturally he has to take the ultimate responsibility for what happens.

3) And I believe that you have heard of the abuse that your ex-husband, IC, has suffered?

Yes, I know with absolute certainty he has suffered. He was beaten so badly during his arrest that he had to be rushed to hospital, suffering from semi-paralysis in his legs, chest pains and breathing difficulties. This has been extremely upsetting for all of us, especially our ten year-old son. Normally IC will come to visit him here in Sri Lanka or at least calls him from Male’ but obviously he hasn’t been able to do this whilst he’s been in jail. Until IC’s transferal to house arrest this week, our son kept asking why Bappa had not been released, why Bappa was still there [jailed] when the other prisoners have been released. It’s been a very traumatic experience for him.

4) The Attorney General has publicly stated that he plans to press ahead with charging many of the August detainees. Dr Shaheed has said that the detainees were engaged in ‘mob violence’. Can you comment on that?

I’m amazed how blatantly our politicians lie. I just can’t believe they really think the Black Friday detainees are criminals, especially an educated man like Dr Shaheed. Where have they studied? More to the point, what have they learnt? People like Dr Shaheed, how could he turn a blind eye to the real truth and lie to the whole world? Everybody knows he is lying. When there is endemic corruption in the Maldives, when people are allowed to get away with torture, murder and rape – why doesn’t Dr Shaheed ever admit to or talk about that?

5) What future do you see for your country?

With this regime in power, I don’t see anything to be positive about. They will never be able change unless we, the people, stand up as we did on the 12-13th August and do something about this.

6) Are you advocating violence?

No. I’m a non-violent person, a Gandhian. There was no violence on the 12-13th demonstration except by paid sympathisers of the regime. I would never advocate violent protest but I fully support civil disobedience. We need to get out of this feudal way of thinking and realise that we have god-given rights and we must stand up for them.

7) If you could give a message to President Gayoom and his associates right now, what would it be?

My advice would be firstly, that the people you have detained are not criminals so let them go. Secondly, I would ask him to allow Maldivians the rights other people have, the rights people here in Sri Lanka have for example. I would ask him to allow free elections for President – not with just one name on the ballot paper – and allow us the freedom to speak and think what we like and the freedom to peacefully demonstrate. My advice would be to give the people their rights, which are enshrined in our constitution.

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