MPs Shihab & Afeef Arrested and then Released after Interrogation

Opposition MPs Mohamed Shihab and Hussain Afeef have been released from Dhoonidhoo Jail after being interrogated by the NSS.

The two MPs were summons to the police station in Male’ late yesterday morning and were then transferred to Dhoonidhoo Jail. They were released from the jail yesterday evening, reports from Male’ have confirmed. Both MPs – though no charges have been bought against them – have been told by the NSS that they are not allowed to leave the Maldives without prior government permission.

It has been reported that the NSS focused their questions on why the two MPs were present at the peaceful pro-democracy rally on 12-13th August 2004.

Sources close to Mohamed Shihab have complained of the political motivation for the MP’s arrests. It is thought that Mr Shihab was arrested because he was contesting for the Male’ seat in the upcoming parliamentary election and the authorities were concerned that he may be elected by the people of Male’. It is believed Mr Shihab’s arrest, even for a few hours, was an attempt to make detainee feel threatened as he pursues his campaign to get elected from Male’ next month as a reformist member of parliament.

As Mr Hussein Afeef’s was being arrested, it was reported that he asked the arresting police officer if “the Speaker had been informed”. Apparently unaware of parliamentary protocol, the policeman asked which speaker Mr Afeef was referring to. Mr Afeef explained that since he is a member of parliament the Speaker of the Majlis has to be informed if he is summoned to the police. The policeman, clearly baffled by this, said he didn’t know. Mr Afeef therefore refused to accept the summons chit.

It was reported that following this, the Deputy Commissioner of Police telephoned Mr Afeef and instructed him to come to the police station in Male’ and that the Speaker of the Majlis had been informed. After this, Mr Afeef went to the police station and was promptly transferred to Dhoonidhoo for interrogation.

Whilst there, sources report that Mr Afeef was questioned about his involvement in the demonstration on 12-13th August. Mr Afeef replied that he was with other MPs on the night of 12 August when the then Information Minister, Mr Ibrahim Manik, telephoned one of the MPs saying that the President had requested the MPs to go to the Republic Square to calm down the crowd. Mr Afeef told the police that he went there to calm down the crowd on the government’s request and that he shook hands with the Minister of State for Defense and National Security at the Square and a high official in the defense ministry and they did not tell the him to leave the square.

The police went onto question Mr Afeef about the other MPs who went to the Square on the 12th August but Mr Afeef responded by asking the police why they were only interested in the involvement of pro-reformist MPs at the demonstration when pro government MPs such as the MP for Haa Alif Mr Ahmed Nizam, the MP for Dhaalu Atoll Mr Ismail Zahir and the President’s Member of the Special Majlis Dr Fathin Hameed were also present. The police refused to comment.

Mr Afeef was then asked if he persuaded anyone to chant for the cabinet and the President to resign. He stated that he did not but the demonstrators did have freedom of speech as guaranteed by the constitution.

Mr Afeef went onto describe to the police that during the police baton-charge of the peaceful crowd, he saw a policeman beating up a 14 year-old boy with a baton. The police did not include this in Mr Afeef’s statement.