The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has condemned the violent assault earlier this week on Judicial Service Commission (JSC) member Aishath Velezinee, calling on the government to “immediately launch an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into this shocking crime.”
Velezinee, President Mohamed Nasheed’s outspoken member on the JSC, was stabbed three times in the back by unidentified assailants on Monday morning while walking in Chandanee Magu in Male’.
“The ICJ is gravely concerned that the attack may be politically motivated. The stabbing took place in daylight in a public space, with no evidence of robbery or theft,” reads a press release issued by the ICJ yesterday.
“Ms. Velezinee’s fearless and controversial advocacy on behalf of justice for ordinary citizens of the Maldives has earned her a constant barrage of verbal attacks from prominent political figures,” said Roger Normand, the ICJ’s Asia Pacific Director. “The government must take swift action, not only to investigate this cowardly stabbing, but equally important, to reaffirm the centrality of rule of law in the new constitutional order.”
After visiting Velezinee at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) shortly after the attack, President Nasheed vowed that “no stone will be left unturned” to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said today that police were not ready to disclose details at this stage of the investigation or confirm if any arrests have been made.
The ICJ notes that Velezinee has publicly criticized the JSC for “abandoning its constitutional mandate under articles 159 and 285 by failing to follow transparent and lawful procedures during the vetting process of the judiciary.”
Article 285 of the constitution mandated the JSC to determine, before 7 August 2010, whether or not the judges on the bench possessed “the educational qualifications, experience and recognized competence necessary to discharge the duties and responsibilities of a judge, [and] high moral character”.
In May 2010, the JSC decided to reappoint all sitting judges unless they have been convicted in court of either a crime with a punishment prescribed in the Quran, criminal breach of trust or treason – a decision that, Velezinee warned at the time, could “rob the nation of an honest judiciary” by giving tenure to 19 judges with either prior convictions by other state institutions or allegations of gross misconduct.
In August, a majority of the 10-member JSC – including MPs of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Speaker Abdulla Shahid and Afrashim Ali, together with the three judges on the commission – decided to reappoint 191 of 197 sitting judges despite Velezinee’s vocal opposition and concerns about the competency and integrity of a number of judges appointed under the former administration.
President’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair observed at the time that while two members opposed the move to rush the reappointments – Velezinee and General Public Member Shuaib Abdul Rahman – “a common thread ties all the other eight members. They either belong to the opposition DRP, or they are strong supporters.”
“The outgoing government has made sure it would retain control of institutions like the judiciary,” he noted.
Zuhair explained that while the government was communicating with international institutions on the issue, such as the ICJ, “so far we have been advised to do everything possible to keep to ‘norms and standards’. But that’s difficult when of the 197 judges, only 35 have any recognised qualifications. All the others have a local diploma.”
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Perfect muslims are a rare thing. They're being hunted to extinction by so-called muslims.
@Ahmed "Perfect muslims are a rare thing. They’re being hunted to extinction by so-called muslims." thats not a defition
It is more important to punish criminals then to efficiently prevent crime.
In the West, as long as apostates and homosexuals do not break their man made laws, they go unpunished. Therefore, Western laws are very silly.
@ Derek
Funny!
What are you fighting for?
Don't you have anything to fight in your own country?
Your name starts and end with the right words. But in between the spelling should be *ick*
You will never impose you will on Maldives. We are still alive - you know?
@ Ahmed Anony (Hillath's shadow)
"Perfect muslims are a rare thing. They’re being hunted to extinction by so-called muslims."
God's religion never extinguishes, but those who call for gay rights will find Sodom one day and be buried underneath it the other day!
That's divine law, I think!
@ Ahmed Aliased
"You know what they say about muslims?. If you keep a 4 inch+ beard..blah blah"
Looks like you have waken from a silent slumber.
I know why you hate beards. You like to kiss them smooth!
Well try kissing on the bald head of someone. You won't find any hair there!
Vel, you are a national treasure. Hoping you carry on your great work. I wonder if any of the people here leaving these idiotic comments could even dream about being half as brave as you have been?
@Radhun
To me, you sound like you are in at least one of the following categories:
1) You are in some way responsible for the attack on Velezinee.
2) You have been living in a cocoon for most of your adult life, if in fact you are an adult, which by your comments seems unlikely.
3) Misinformed about Velezinee through our biased media.
4) Brain dead.
"Velezinee is a hard drug addict" Please explain how? Do you have evidence? Perhaps you're basing your idea on some TV clip that portrays her in such a way? You should be aware that the biased media can manipulate a video clip of anyone the way they want to. You should really listen to what she is actually saying rather than believing what this biased media makes of her - that these judges are stealing our money, that they are interfering with progress in this country by corruption carried over from the last regime, that they are committing treason, silent coups etc etc. Why don't you go to youtube and check out the facts and then come back and comment on these rather than her character. It's sad that there are many people like you who still go after people's character. I suppose it's more the system's fault than yours.
"She was in a guest house with a man not the actual boy friend. The BF came to know about her with the other guy and the attack is beleived to be as a result this. Therefore this was a crime of passion rather than politically motivated. She is just making use of the opportunity."
Knowing reputable people that know Velezinee personally, I wasn't that she was currently in a relationship at the present time. Can you please backup this statement with some evidence? No, I didn't think so. Utter nonsense, why waste your time putting it up. You idiot.
@heck
"I thought people who suffer “violent” attacks with sharp objects are sent to the cemetery from the hospital.
Looks like you are counting how many votes she is getting! What’s going on?"
What are you talking about you nut case? So every person that is stabbed should automatically die? To be honest, I don't think you actually "thought" at all did you? Votes for what, do you think she's standing for election? She's in the JSC, do you know what that is? She doesn't need votes? Go read a book other than the qur'an, it might teach you to expand your mind.
"Your name starts and end with the right words. But in between the spelling should be *ick*"
Lol, you poor soul. You try to be clever and you just look even more pathetic than in your previous comment. What nonsense.
"Looks like you have waken from a silent slumber.
I know why you hate beards. You like to kiss them smooth!
Well try kissing on the bald head of someone. You won’t find any hair there!"
Talk about going off the subject. Grow up you nitwit.
@Hussain
I'd be delighted if you could provide the name of even one person from each category where they were sentenced to "DEATH" for that crime in the USA in the last 50 years. Do you know what the word truth actually means?
@musician
"@Derek, honestly theres something wrong with you. Either you support criminal and their activity or you have the intention of doing crime. You belong somewhere around there. "
On the contrary, I think there's actually something wrong with you.
Don't see an ounce of truth to back that statement up. Cr%p of the highest order.
"The failure of western society is bcaz criminals can getaway easily after committing a crime and they never think twice before committing a crime. but if you look Saudi Arabia where criminals will think more than 100000 times before committing a crime. thats the difference between islamic law and failed western law." I don't think western society is a failure, I think that they're doing an alright job from what I hear. Your ideas and people like you belong back in the 6th century. Always directing the discussion towards religion and to what you have been brain washed. Why don't you stick to the topic at hand.