The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has decided to send a human rights mission to the Maldives “to gather first-hand information” on cases involving human rights abuses and political intimidation of MPs.
The decision was adopted by the IPU during its 127th Assembly in Quebec City, Canada, upon the recommendation of its Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians.
In a press release on Wednesday following the decision to send the fact-finding mission, the IPU expressed concern with the “on-going climate of violence and confrontation in the Maldives, expressing shock at the recent killing of MP Afrasheem Ali.”
“In a resolution on the case of 19 MPs from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), alleged victims of excessive violence, arbitrary arrests and criminal charges believed to be politically motivated, the Organisation is similarly perturbed by reports of renewed ill-treatment, detention and harassment by law enforcement officers,” the statement read.
“Maldives has been in political crisis since February when incumbent President Mohamed Nasheed was replaced by his Vice-President Mohamed Waheed. There has been growing international concern at the political intimidation and serious outbreaks of violence in the country.”
Aside from the concerned MPs in the human rights abuse cases, the press release added that the IPU mission will meet officials from the government, parliament and judiciary “at the invitation of the Maldives government.”
MDP MP for Galolhu North, Eva Abdulla, participated in the meeting of the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians on October 21.
In March, the MDP parliamentary group submitted cases alleging police brutality against the former ruling party’s MPs to the IPU’s human rights committee at the 126th Assembly held at Kampala, Uganda.
During the same meeting, Eva was unanimously elected as a member of the IPU’s Committee of Women Parliamentarians.
The cases concerned targeted police brutality against MDP MPs on February 7 and 8, in particular on the latter date during a heavy-handed police crackdown on an MDP protest march that left scores injured and hospitalised, including former MDP parliamentary group leader and Hulhu-Henveiru MP ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik and Maafanu South MP Ibrahim Rasheed ‘Bonda’.
Three classified reports by the IPU concerning police brutality against MDP MPs have been shared with parliament and the executive since the transfer of presidential power on February 7, the party revealed this week.
No charges have been pressed to date against police officers of the Special Operations (SO) unit caught on camera beating civilians and MDP MPs.
The IPU is a global organisation of parliaments, established in 1889. It works to foster coordination and exchange between representative institutions across the globe. The IPU also offers technical support to affiliated nations. The Maldives has been a member of the organisation since 2005.
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is it going to be another fact finding mission sponsored by the so called international community in the name of democracy and justice and fairplay? AND LATER WILL BE BOUGHT BY THE RICH AND FAMOUS like what had happened the Commonwealth fact finding CoNI report? if its so thaen PLEASE ask the IPU to forget it and let our Maldivians remain as we are under this OPPRESSIVE militant regime...God Help Maldives!
The foreign card that has been played in the name of human rights (eg, later joining the UN human rights council) was what gave the MDP a voice in the international community the after the Evan Naseem case.
In the pretext of foreign backed human rights, MDP was successful in toppling a 30 year old dictatorship.
But MDP was thrown out in just 3 years.
Could the brutal and (seeming very professional) murder of Afrasheem be an attempt to rebalance power and bring back the human rights focus again????
Any answers..
After all the evidence, they still have the brazen shamelessness to call it 'alleged'.
Of course the claims made by the MDP are very serious.
A fact-finding mission should come here and investigate them.
The government must also engage with foreign stakeholders and state their side of events.
NGOs in the country should also meet with this mission and report their findings as well.
Wrongdoing is wrongdoing no matter by whom it was perpetrated. If excessive force was used by police they should be disciplined for it. If MDP protesters had called for public hangings and murder of individuals and also used threats and intimidation against public officials and private property they should be brought to justice as well.
In a perfect world a fact-finding mission should chastise political actors in the Maldives for transgressing several boundaries that are respected and adhered to in stable democracies abroad.
How much more corruption and blood must there be under this evil regime..
Oh Yes. Let Gayoom and his Butgs like HAMZAA, false live in the MALDIVES.
Ha Ha
*Religion forbids man to wear the attire of women or dress himself in colors that are of a feminine quality.
To wear a yellow tie is an act of treason against God. The charachter of the members of the MalDeviant-Democratic-Party must be seen in this light and they must be dealt with accordingly.
Bare breasted Moosa Maniku in photo - why is this not censored.
These infilterators come and go.. Let this mission of infilterators come and go too... Useless
I believe that in Maldives only MDP and its member need live and rest of the people need to take refuge in Maldives.
First time in the history of Maldives , water cannon was used against the peaceful demonstrator in the country and that was ordered by our beloved Anni , the champion of democracy and human rights in Maldives.