Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Mustafa today said that the MDP Parliamentary Group was considering forwarding a no-confidence motion against the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) members, for failing to protect the human rights of citizens.
‘’We have noticed that the HRCM members that we appointed have failed to protect the rights of the citizens, and are more concerned about protecting the rights of particular persons,’’ said MP Mustafa. ‘’I am ashamed of HRCM for they have showed no effort in fulfilling the duty assigned to them.”
Mustafa referred to the recent incident where a 17 year-old boy was injured in a protest led by the MDP calling for judicial reform, during which the activists gathered outside former President’s house.
‘’HRCM did not even a say a word of sympathy to the young boy who was injured, they did not even visit the hospital to see him, but when police arrested the former President’s son Gassan Maumoon, they prepared a press statement,’’ he claimed. ‘’This shows what kind of things concern HRCM members.’’
Mustafa said that HRCM had another statement, as yet unreleased, calling on the MDP not to gather near the former President’s residence, and not to threaten the judiciary.
‘’But we have a right to protest, we conducted the protest in accordance to the laws,’’ he claimed. ‘’So there is no use of the current HRCM members and paying money to them is a big waste.’’
He called on the resignation of the commission members and said the commission would be “better with empty desks”.
‘’That day knives were dropped and pots filled with stones were thrown from the former President’s house, and a 17 year-old boy left disabled. He is very young and he is half-paralysed.”
President of the Human Rights Commission Mariyam Azra did not respond to Minivan News at time of press.
In August, a delegation from the Maldives headed by Attorney General Abdulla Muiz reported to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination that the country’s Human Rights Commission “was one of the most active national institutions in Asia”.
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yawn! boring article
Very true. Azra is biased left right and center. Should we be surprised? No. She was first appointed by the Maumoon A Gayyoom.
Actually it was meant that our HRCM was most active national in Asia in preparing papers on human rights issues (active only doing lip-services to gain support of the rich)
Well, is the MDP Parliamentary Group implying that HRCM is expected to issue statements of sympathy for every person / child injured at a politically motivated civil disturbance? Why should a 17 year old boy even be at a political rally? Why should an angry mob get violent and damage someone's property? Why should the Police have let this rally go as long as it did? Lets think about the incident and ask ourselves 'why' and 'what' exactly led to the 17 year old being injured that day.
I agree. HRCM can become active in so many ways and in so many areas. It's a shame the parliament failed to select competent, fair and dedicated people as the members of HRCM.