Cabinet has decided to investigate who gave the order to shoot inmates in Maafushi jail in September 2003, an incident in which three inmates died.
Further details were not mentioned, and Press Secretary for the President’s Office, Mohamed Zuhair, did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.
In June this year three of the 12 former prison guards sentenced to death – who were living at large – were arrested by police for the enforcement of their 25 year sentence.
During the trial, 13 guards were accused of murdering three inmates and all were found guilty of the crime and sentenced to death by the Criminal Court.
The 13th person, the head of the prison that time, was later pardoned by the High Court. Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom then used presidential privilege to commute the death sentences of the others to 25 year imprisonment.
State Home Minister Mohamed Naeem told Minivan News in June that the documents at the Home Ministry showed that the 12 officers were at first kept in Maafushi Prison until the new prison head sent a letter to the-then Home Minister Ahmed Thasmeen Ali – now the leader of the opposition – that it was unsafe for the 12 to be among the other inmates.
“They were then transferred to Dhoonidhoo prison, and after two months another letter was sent to Thasmeen from the then Deputy Police Commission saying that there were no lawful grounds for keeping convicts in Dhoonidhoo for the implementing of their verdicts,” he said. “And that was the end of the document trail. We do not know what Thasmeen said in reply, or how they managed to stay at large.”
Prison guards at Maafushi claimed to have shot the inmates to control a prison riot sparked by the custodial death of fellow inmate Evan Naseem, who allegedly died of injuries sustained during the brutal torture he was subjected to inside the prison. His death – and his family’s decision to display the body and his injuries – is considered a watershed moment in Maldivian politics that led to the ousting of the former President.
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Okiesss....so this is still acting as a curtain to catch social attention?
I dont beleive the officers who were sentenced to death or life imprisonment deserve that much. It took such a short time frame to find these officers who:
1. Never had a first hand experience or studies about riot controlling or had proper training on such out bursts.
2. Who obviously followed orders from sumone superior.
Question is; why cant anyone apprehend or even say hu made the call to shoot.? We would love to see that person at on a stake.
For pple who would tok both ways, even if your superiors order you; be the judge of your actions and you decide whats best..and let the excuse for your decision be DEMOCRACY.
Still, this is done and we have been toking, shouting, rioting, fighting, advertising, cursing, arguing, soliciting about this since when? 2003..If the duration for justice to be served for something like this is 9 years (and counting); then LMFAO. LMA.
they announce every year a diferent organization looking into this...9 years pple.....365dx9y.... shame on the country, shame on its leaders and most of all, shame on the citizens for accepting this taking this long and being used as a cover-up to take mass attention.
The answer to all these questions has been there all along .... "Into the air, into the sky, into the heaven and finally ...." Problem is Maldivians are not capable of listening to certain things especially when it involves His Higness Zedey.
The cabinet is wasting their precious time. We need food, housing, need a clean Male and we need to get rid of unwanted expatriate workers who are robbing our jobs and harming our humble small economy. As a jobless homeless people we beg our government to keep unpleasant things and do more constructive work.
So far we have only empty promises!
What happened to the investigation on the November 3 terrorist attack? Some of the criminals involved in this attack are in Anni's cabinet.
Zeena, I do not think that anyone involved in the 3rd Nov issue is a Cabinet Minister. If you mean Abdulla Shahid, yes he is charge of Immigration but not a Minister. He served his time during Gayoom's presidency and was pardoned, the same as Abbas.
If you are thinking of Ameen Faisal, he is also not in the Cabinet but he never was charged for anything relating to Nov 3rd attack. He was charged for not reporting that Abbas expressed anti government sentiments to him while being an officer in the NSS.
I think this government has run out of ideas.
What about the Sultan Park bombers? Many of them are running free in the country. Investigate that too.
Yawn! Diversions, diversions, diversions.
A scared MDP is a lovely sight to see.
You people have forgotten how to throw a good glammer. Or maybe you never knew how to do it from the executive's seat in the first place.
Try harder MDP. A couple more headlines and maybe you might be able to deceive the public that;
- Your party's President has been bought out and internal democracy within the MDP has been proven to be a joke.
- Mismanagement has driven our economy to breaking point.
- The only President that the fighting rabble you call a political party can accept is now so unpopular that re-electing him would cost billions.
- Your attempts at securing a new resort for young Ismail Samih Ahmed has finally come to fruition. Surely Moomina and her hubby will pour in the funds now.
Good luck. Keep on keeping on 😀
Cabinet appoints sub-committee to investigate 2003 shooting at Maafushi jail
The news dosent say anything about a sub comittee.. This is good journalism??? Go learn before u post guys..
This government is running out of strategies to attack the opposition. President s family has to take responsibility of the massacre of November 3. But the criminals are rewarded with high posts in his government. Now he is trying investigating the death of the most notorious criminal’s death just to twist the bad attention the President is getting for corruption and abusing his power.
@ Waheed,
The pple we brand as MOST NOTORIOUS are usually the once that go into drugs bcz of our society and government.
Evan Naseem was notorious as you put it. I am not making him an angel..But accusations against him by Police are lies. Can you say that you wer there and you know better than me? Cz I can say I was there and I know better than you. Atleast how and who Evan Naseem is. Agreed that the president has failed on his promises.