The criminal court has extended the detention period of 61 protesters arrested on Thursday, in opposition to President Mohamed Waheed Hassan giving the presidential address to open the first session of parliament.
Police had arrested 67 protesters on the day, but released six of them later. Minivan News understands that those detained include former President Mohamed Nasheed’s brother, Nazim Sattar.
The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) called on police to immediately release of the detainees last night. MDP in a press statement stated: “The families of the detained are extremely concerned and some of the families have suffered psychologically following the arrests of the detainees.”
MDP also called on the courts to make their judgements freely and impartially to ensure the people’s trust in the judiciary was not tarnished any further.
“The detention extension issued by the courts regarding the protesters who had been arrested was against legal principles,” said member of MDP’s legal team and Chairman of the MDP Legal Affairs Committee, Ahmed Abdullah Afeef, in a press conference held by MDP on Friday night.
Afeef also stated that the detention extension had been carried out “unfairly”, and alleged that the whole process had been “pre-planned” before the protesters were even taken into the court.
“Police had no evidence to prove to the court that there was a legitimate reason to extended the detention periods. The actions of the criminal court imply more of a personal vendetta rather than an impartial decision,” said Afeef.
Afeef observed that during protests that took place during December 2011 under Nasheed’s government, police had sought the detention of several protesters, providing photo and video evidence proving attacks on police, but the criminal court had rejected it and released those detained.
Afeef said that the party would appeal the decisions of the Criminal Court and said the case would be filed in High Court today. Afeef also added that High Court has said that they will hold a hearing today.
Speaking to Minivan News today at the High Court building, Afeef said: “What we are trying to say is that there maybe people amongst the protesters who should be arrested, but it has to be done based on evidence.”
“As a principle, the judge would not know what happened at the protests. Decisions from a judge should come based on evidence. Here in this case, the police could not provide any evidence, but yet still the judge issued the detention extensions,” he said.
Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam told Minivan News today that 61 people arrested during the protests are in police custody, “all of them had arrested attempting to break through police lines, or attacking police officers. We have evidence and the investigation process is going on currently. We will submit that evidence to the authorities as well,” Shiyam said.
Fourteen police officers were injured on Thursday in skirmishes with demonstrators, some of whom threw rocks at officers. Four were seriously injured, and one officer was flown to Sri Lanka for further treatment.
Minivan News also observed police in riot gear cracking down protesters near the Reefside Shop in Chaandhanee Magu, without advance notice. Three protesters were taken into custody at the scene.
Questioned about the incident, Shiyam said that the people who are currently arrested were those who had “attacked the police officers”, that the others had been released.
The High Court was yet to announce the appeal hearings at the time of press.
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We Did Not See Protesters Attacking The Police. We Saw The Police:- RANDOMLY GRABBING PROTESTERS AND TAKING THEM AWAY! WHAT A HOOTE! WHO AND WHAT ON EARTH IS MALDIVE LAW!
Welcome to Waheed's democracy.
A unique democracy, with a unique judiciary and courts system, where any citizen hand-picked by a member of the police or security forces, is guilty by default until such time as they can prove their innocence.
Guilt will be established solely on the verbal utterance of a police officer who may have had no involvement in the arrest or have knowledge of the situation and or context of arrest.
The officer will directly verbally communicate with the sitting judge to submit the case of the guilty.
And the "guilty" will stay locked up in jail for extended periods of time, for as long as it feels fit for the judiciary to conduct a hearing, to prove their innocence.
Citizens, prepare to enjoy the unique standards of Waheed's Islamic Democracy.
For indeed, Waheed and all his democratic and Islamic standards are true blessings from God Almighty to the Maldivian people.
Let no alcohol and drug addict escape from this!
C'mon President Waheed, keep all those MDP thugs and terrorists locked up and let them never see the sunshine again. Let them learn a lesson and give them a message that we have no place in our country for vandalistsm hooliganists and terrorists like them.
Great job Criminal Court, proving again and again, that President Nasheed was justified in detaining the corrupt judge! Well all of you who brought about the coup greatly underestimated the power of the People! You people can't silence us anymore like you did during Maumoon's regime, we have had a taste of democracy even for three years, and we want it back! Maumoon and his allies and supporters have not understood us the People and this time we will teach you, that you can't make us your puppets again! Waheed is your only puppet!
No wonder, the courts are puppets as is the new illegal president. the Maldives has gone back wards to 10years. i think its worse than the 30 years of dictatorship under Maummon.no freedom of expression, no freedom of assembly...its always unlawful assembly now. may god bless our nation and hope to see a free nation soon
Horrific scenario we find ourselves in with this illegal regime.
These criminals = the new so called government, should be up for TREASON with the corrupt judges.