Politics – Page 440 – Minivan News

Former Home Minister summoned for questioning by police and HRCM over detention of Chief Judge

The former Home Minister Hassan Afeef was yesterday summoned to the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) to the police for questioning over the arrest of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed.

Speaking to the press outside the police headquarters, Afeef said he had no role in the arrest of Abdulla and that he had only requested the military to arrest him after police had asked him to make the request.

Afeef said it was the police that informed the Home Ministry that there were issues concerning the national security of the Maldives if Abdulla was to remain at large.

He said that in a letter he sent to the Defence Ministry on behalf of the Home Ministry, issues concerning the national security of the country were outlined very clearly.

He declined to provide details on the arrest of Abdulla because they concerned the national security of the country, he said.

When Minivan News contacted Afeef for a comment he said what he told last night outside the police headquarters was all he could say regarding the issue.

A police spokesperson today told Minivan News that police asked Hassan Afeef to come to the police headquarters at 9:30pm last night.

‘’He came on time and we questioned him about the arrest of Judge Abdulla Mohamed,’’ he said. ‘’He answered all the questions very well.’’

Yesterday afternoon Afeef was summoned to HRCM for questioning over the arrest of Judge Abdulla.

Afeef met the press outside the HRCM and said the commission faced him a lot of questions and that he answered all the questions fully and declined to provide details of the questions.

Recently Former government’s Defence Minister Tholhath Ibrahim and former President Mohamed Nasheed were summoned to the HRCM.

Tholhath was also summoned to the police headquarters, however, he used the right to remain silent.

Judge Abdulla Mohamed was arrested by the Defence Force in compliance with a police request.

However, the protests sparked in Male’ following the arrest and lasted until the resignation of the former president.

The opposition-led protests in the run up to Nasheed’s resignation initial called for the release of the Criminal Court Judge.

The first complaints against Abdulla Mohamed were filed in July 2005 by then Attorney General Dr Hassan Saeed, and included allegations of misogyny, sexual deviancy, and throwing out an assault case despite the confession of the accused.

The Judicial Services Commission (JSC), the judicial watchdog, eventually formed a complaints committee to investigate the cases against Judge Abdulla in December 2009, which met 44 times but had failed to present a single report as of March 2011.

The JSC eventually concluded an investigation into politically-contentious comments made by Judge Abdulla Mohamed on DhiTV, but the report was never released after the judge sought a Civil Court injunction against his further investigation in September 2011.

Then-Home Minister Hassan Afeef subsequently accused the judge of “taking the entire criminal justice system in his fist”, listing 14 cases of obstruction of police duty including withholding warrants for up to four days, ordering police to conduct unlawful investigations and disregarding decisions by higher courts.

Afeef accused the judge of “deliberately” holding up cases involving opposition figures, barring media from corruption trials, ordering the release of suspects detained for serious crimes “without a single hearing”, and maintaining “suspicious ties” with family members of convicts sentenced for dangerous crimes.

The judge also released a murder suspect “in the name of holding ministers accountable”, who went on to kill another victim.

Then Vice President of the Maldives Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan opposed the judge’s detention, stating on his blog that “I am ashamed and totally devastated by the fact that this is happening in a government in which I am the elected Vice President.”

Nasheed’s government requested assistance from the international community to reform the judiciary. Observing that judicial reform “really should come from the Judicial Services Commission (JSC)”, then Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem said the commission’s shortcoming are “now an issue of national security.”

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MDP MP Abdulla Abdulraheem rejoins DRP

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Abdulla Abdulraheem has rejoined the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), a year after leaving his original party while it was in opposition.

Raheem joined the MDP in the footsteps of former DRP Deputy Leader, now MDP MP Ali Waheed, former DRP Sports Wing head Hassan Shujau, and deputy head Assad ‘Adubarey’ Ali.

On Tuesday late afternoon at the DRP Office there was a small ceremony to mark his signing and a meeting afterwards with the press.

Speaking at the meeting, Raheem said he came back to DRP because his views did not match those of the MDP leadership, and because he felt that in the future the number of MDP supporters would deteriorate.

When a journalist asked him whether he believed that the current government was legitimate, he replied that he was obliged to stay behind the stand of DRP after signing with the party.

Raheem also said that he believed that the current government was constitutional and was formed according to the law.

MDP MP Mohamed Musthafa today told Minivan News that Raheem’s resignation from MDP was “regrettable”.

‘’We are in a very difficult situation and he worked with us very well,’’ Musthafa said. ‘’I don’t think that any of the MDP members saw this coming.’’

Musthafa said he think that Raheem left MDP because he wanted to stay with the government at the time.

‘’But his action will make his constituents lose confidence with him, and if he is to run for the parliament election next time I do not think he can win the seat,’’ he said. ‘’More than 70 percent of Male’ citizens are MDP supporters.’’

Musthafa described the move as a “big challenge” to Raheem’s political career.

MDP Spokesperson and MP Imthiyaz ‘Inthi’ Fahmy said he would not like to comment on the matter.

‘’We did not have a clue that this was about to happen,’’ he said. ‘’But there are people like that who come and go.’’

MDP current Deputy Leader and MP Alhan Fahmy is also from DRP, along with figures such as Ali Waheed and Shujau.

Alhan joined MDP in February 2010, after DRP Disciplinary Committee decided to take action against him for voting against a no-confidence motion passed to the parliament by the then-opposition to oust the then-Foreign Minister Dr Ahmed Shaheed.

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Immigration Department reminds foreigners not to interfere in politics

Assistant Controller of the Immigration Department Ibrahim Ashraf has reiterated the strict penalties for foreign nationals who engage in political protests whilst in the Maldives.

Police have begun an investigation, in conjunction with the immigration department, into suggestions that foreigners were involved in the protest that accompanied the opening of the Majlis on March 19. Minivan News was unable to contact the police for a comment on this investigation at the time of press.

Ashraf revealed that one of the suspects had already departed the country of his own accord.

Whilst being unaware of any specific instances of foreign involvement in the protests mentioned, MDP spokesman Hamid Abdul Ghafoor reaffirmed his party’s commitment to encompassing what he regards as global discontent into peaceful protests.

“We will be encouraging [foreign] participation. Out protests will go beyond borders. We are part of a global village and we have been violated. We will invite NGOs [to protest] and even tourists,” said Ghafoor.

“We want their voice with our cause. Peaceful protesters need to find a mechanism to lend their voice,” he continued.

Ashraf drew attention to the stipulations clearly detailed on the Immigration Department’s website which mentions the potential for immediate removal if foreigners are, “found participating in any unlawful activity or even the intention to participate or initiate an unlawful activity.” It also mentions penalties for those “suspected of disrupting the religious or political harmony.”

“Any foreigner on any sort of visa is not permitted to engage in political activity,” said Ashraf, “this is common for every country.”

Regarding the “strict” measures referred to in other media reports, the Assistant Controller said that this can involve permanent deportation or simply removal without deportation, depending on the gravity of the offence.

When asked to respond to these legal issues regarding the participation of foreigners in politics, Ghafoor responded “we might have to reconsider these restrictive laws.”

German national Patrick Crilly was taken into police custody earlier this month after photographing the police attempting to disperse a protest outside the Bank of Maldives (BML) using high-powered hoses.

He later explained that his detention was supposedly on the grounds of refusing to obey a police order, although he denies being given one. Crilly, a medical intern on a visa run from Sri Lanka, was detained for two and a half hours before being released without charge. The police denied that he had been officially arrested.

In 2006, an individual identifying himself as Michael Lord-Castle and four associates were deported from the Maldives for life after suspected involvement in political activity.

His controversial security-cum-fraud-investigation group, Global Protection Committee (GPC), was spotted on the streets of Male’ during the build up to the Maldivian Democratic Party’s planned assembly for constitutional change.

Lord-Castle originally signed a statement saying he had been invited by the MDP, a fact he later denied.

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New transport minister calls for redevelopment of airport runway

Minister of Transport and Communication, Dr Ahmed Shamheed, has criticised GMR’s plan to develop Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA), arguing that it does not provide needed redevelopment of the runway.

Shamheed said there had been a temporary closure of the airport last week as a large crack on the runway was repaired.

“The development of the runway is not part of the agreement made with GMR. And the way the airport development plan is going, there is no possibility of constructing a new runway. A beautiful design can be made, but we have to consider its sustainability,” the Minister told Sun Online.

When asked to comment, Shamheed told Minivan News that he could not say anything more specific on his department’s next move regarding the repair issues.

“But we are conducting a study into the matter. Once we establish all the facts, we will brief,” said Shamheed.

“We are trying to find out how they are going to address the issue with the runway. There is no quick fix,” he claimed.

At over US$400 million the project is the largest single foreign investment ever made in the Maldives. The plan involves an upgrade the current terminal before the construction of a new terminal on the opposite side of the island of Hulhule, which the developer has pledged to complete in 2014. Ground was broken on the site for the new terminal in December last year.

The new transport minister alleged the runway was in poor condition and in need of critical repairs. An incident in 2010 saw experts from Boeing brought in to advise on such repairs after one of its aircraft sustained damage as a result of water retention on the runway.

Managing Director of the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) Mohamed Ibrahim, previously responsible for the maintenance of the site, two years ago claimed that the runway had to be re-tarred every 15 years, having last been repaired in the early 1990s.

“Devious Indians”

The political opposition under Nasheed’s government, particularly the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), were persistently critical of the airport development, with allegations ranging from corruption in the bidding process to claims that the deal would allow the airport to refuel Israeli bombers enroute to bombing Arab countries.

Then leader of the People’s Alliance (PA) and brother of former President Gayoom, Abdulla Yameen, previously described the deal as “economic enslavement.”

Similarly, the Dhivehi Quamee Party (DQP) released a booklet in Dhivehi in December 2011 titled “Giving the airport to GMR: The beginning of slavery”, warning against “devious Indians”.

In the 24 page document (download in English/Dhivehi) the DQP claimed that the agreement did not include any requirement to develop a runway and would allow the GMR group to “colonise” large portions of the economy.

“Indian people are especially devious people”, the DQP booklet claimed. “There is no guarantee at all that GMR will invest the proposed amount. There is nothing the government can do but accept what they say and the documents they provide. This is how all the companies in partnership with the government are run.”

An unattributed letter on the party’s website published at the same time as the pamphlet claimed that the Indian government, in its backing GMR’s investment, “has a choice to make.”

“Does it want its backyard to be peaceful, prosperous, and free from corruption, nationalism, and religious problems? Does it want its backyard to be a place where wealthy Indians can spend their holiday and where its investors are respected and welcomed and not hated? Or does it want to be seen as a backer and sponsor of a corrupt and despotic regime, divorced from public sentiments, as was the case of the United States in the Middle East?”

Spokesperson for former President Nasheed, Mohamed Zuhair, claimed at the time of the contract signing in 2010 that the deal with GMR to upgrade and manage the airport had clashed with the vested interests of several tycoons, including Yameen and Gasim, drawing it into the political arena.

“Gasim was concerned the new airport might take the charter flights he had intended would be landing at the new airport he is building in Maamagilli,” Zuhair alleged at the time, “while Yameen is a third party supplier of fuel at Male International Airport through the Maldives National Oil Company, which has representation in Singapore.”

“These MPs are two individuals of high net worth – tycoons with vested interests,” he explained. “In pursuing their business interests they became enormously rich during the previous regime, and now they are trying to use their ill-gotten gains to bribe members in the Majlis and judiciary to keep themselves in power and above the fray.”

“Politically neutral”

The airport’s CEO Andrew Harrison in 2011 stated in an interview with Minivan News that he was “extremely confident of standing up to any scrutiny because of the way the bid was scrutinised by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC)”.

Harrison today declined to comment on Shamheed’s recent statement. In a previous interview, he maintained that GMR had “always been politically neutral in that our remit is solely about developing and operating the airport.”

“We respect whichever party holds the seat of government in the Maldives. The government change is a change we respect and we remain politically neutral. We’ve got a concession agreement and we are sure that any government in power will respect that agreement. We’ve not heard anything that would make us believe otherwise,” Harrison told Minivan News at a press conference in February.

The criticism culminated in a successful court case filed by the DQP against GMR’s levying of an airport development charge (ADC), a source of revenue for the company outlined in the original contract. The court decision left the Nasheed government with the obligation to pay the difference.

Several days after assuming the presidency, Dr Waheed vowed the government would not approach the deal “from a political perspective”, adding, “It is not our intention to harm GMR. Our objective will be to resolve concerns of the public [regarding the company].”

Foreign investors should not be concerned about the political upheaval affecting their interests in the Maldives, said Dr Waheed, but hinted that some investments may come under scrutiny.

“We will not target anybody for political reasons,” he said. “If there are any reasons for concern over investment, of course any steps that need to be taken will be taken.”

Since the recent transition of presidential power, many of the former government’s policies have come under scrutiny. The Ministry of Economic Development announced that all future Public Private Partnership (PPP) schemes would be put on hold, adding to fears that the political turmoil currently engulfing the country would be detrimental to foreign investment.

Former Climate Change Advisor to Nasheed Mark Lynas recently expressed his concern over this issue: “Donors will turn away because of the political instability, and investors likewise.”

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Deputy Speaker Nazim’s lawyer appointed to JSC

President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has appointed Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim’s lawyer Mohamed Saleem (G. Raynis, Malé) to the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) on Monday.

The JSC is the watchdog body entrusted with the power to appoint, promote and transfer judges, and to investigate complaints against the judiciary.

Ousted President Mohamed Nasheed’s former JSC appointee, Aishath Velezinee, said Saleem’s appointment constituted a “conflict of interest,” as he was a practicing lawyer defending high profile politicians.

Saleem had defended Nazim against charges of defrauding the now defunct Ministry of Atolls Development. The Criminal Court dismissed all four counts of fraud against Nazim in February shortly after Nasheed resigned “under duress” on February 7.

Saleem has denied conflict of interest allegations, saying he would no longer continue to practice as a lawyer, except to complete ongoing cases that do not involve any conflict of interest.

Saleem had previously served for eight years in the Police Courts, and seventeen years in the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) under former President Gayoom. He started off in the AGO as an assistant state attorney. When he resigned in 2008, he was the head of prosecution at the AGO.

He also served as North Huvadhoo atoll MP in the constitutional assembly from 2004- 2008.

Saleem is also prominent businessmen and Jumhooree Party (JP) Kaashidhoo MP Candidate Abdulla Jabir’s brother-in-law.

“It is public knowledge that Gasim (JP leader) and Jabir win by their pockets and what we are seeing is the judiciary going to the pockets of a few influential businessmen and politicians. We lost the independent judiciary to high treason of the JSC in 2010, and this move by Dr Waheed guarantees nothing but further degradation of the judiciary,” Velezinee told Minivan News.

Saleem refuted Velezinee’s allegations saying, “Even when I worked in the government, I was not one to favor friends or family members. I am certain I can be of honest service”.

Velezinee has alleged the JSC was complicit in protecting judges appointed during Gayoom’s regime, and was colluding with parliament to ensure legal impunity for senior then-opposition supporters.

In addition to Saleem, the JSC now consists of Speaker and Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Abdulla Shahid, Jumhooree Party leader and Gayoom’s Finance Minister Gasim Ibrahim, Gayoom’s ex-lawyer and current Attorney General Azima Shukoor, Civil Service Commission President Mohamed Fahmy Hassan, Supreme Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed, High Court Judge Abdulla Hameed, Civil Court Judge Abdulla Didi, Lawyer Ahmed Rasheed, and public member Shuaib Abdulrahman.

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Parties to fight vigorously to win the by-elections on 14 April

Four by-elections announced by the Elections Commission will take place on April 14, with two seats in parliament and two island council seats being contested.

These include elections of councilors for the vacant seat in both Thaa Atoll Gaadhiffushi Island council and Haa Dhaal Atoll Kumundhoo island council, and the election of MPs for the parliament seats of Thaa Atoll Thimarafushi Constituency (formerly held by MDP MP Mohamed Musthafa) and Kaafu Atoll Kaashidhoo Constituency (formerly held by Independent MP Ismail Abdul Hameed).

The two MPs were unseated after the Supreme Court recently upheld court sentences against the pair, and disqualified them.

Former MDP MP Musthafa was unseated after Supreme Court on February 20 ruled in favor of a case lodged by the Interim Vice President of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), Umar Naseer, in which the court had found that Musthafa had an unpaid debt. Musthafa owed US$500,000 to the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI).

According to the Maldives Constitution, an MP with a legally proven unpaid debt who is found to be not paying the debt regularly will be disqualified as an MP.

Former Independent MP Hameed lost his seat after he was found guilty of a corruption case during his tenure in Male Municipality as a Director.

Hameed was found guilty of using his position as then Director of Male Municipality to buy a barge for the waste management unit, claiming that it had been received when it had not, and paying the remaining 50 percent of the bill to the company concerned.

The Criminal Court sentenced Hameed to to one and a half years banishment. According to the constitution, an elected MP loses his seat if the MP is found guilty of a criminal offence, and if the sentence counts to more than a year.

Political parties including the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), Jumhoree Party (JP) and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) have announced that their candidates will be contesting in the by-elections.

Two parties, the MDP and PPM, have fielded candidates for all four elections while DRP and JP have each fielded a candidate in one election.

However, PPM after fielding their candidate Mohamed Waheed for the Kaashidhoo constituency parliamentary seat, former lawyer of Ex President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom , decided to support the JP candidate for the seat, business tycoon Abdulla Jabir, amid reports of internal conflict within the party over the decision.

The ‘out of favor’ candidate of PPM openly called in a PPM rally held recently that he would not support JP candidate Jabir, whilst the PPM’s leadership, including former president Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom, stated that PPM had fully backed Jabir for the sake of the “national interest”.

The unseated MP for Thimarafushi Constituency, Musthafa, has decided to re-run in the election for the same seat he lost, while PPM fielded former People’s Alliance (PA) and Elections Commission’s Secretary General Ahmed Shareef.

Two other parties had also filed their candidacy to the elections commission, which included the a lost candidate in the primary held by MDP to decide to whom the party ticket would be given.

The second candidate, prominent lawyer Abdullah Shair, who filed his candidacy as an independent, was rejected by the elections commission citing that he had not submitted the required documents within the specified time period. Shair has filed a case in High Court asking the court to order the Elections Commission to accept his candidacy.

Three candidates are contesting the island council by-election of Haa Dhaal Atoll Kumundhoo island. They are Abdul Hameed Abdul Kareem from DRP, Aishath Hassan from MDP and Mohamed Shaafee from PPM.

Two candidates are contesting the island council by-election of Thaa Atoll Gaadhiffushi island: Hussain Shiyaau from PPM and Mohamed Irushaad from MDP.

Both the MDP and the PPM have expressed confidence in winning the elections and are heavily campaigning for the seats.

DRP and other coalition partners of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan have backed the PPM candidate for the Thimarafushi Constituency parliamentary seat, and backed JP Candidate Abdullah Jaabir for Kaashidhoo Constituency Parliamentary seat.

The Elections Commission has also announced a by-election for the Noonu atoll Maafaru Island Council after the MDP Councilor Anwar Abdul Ghanee lost his seat after he was removed from the Party.

According to the law, a councilor loses his seat if he is removed from the party in which he had been elected.

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Pirates hijack cargo vessel in Maldivian waters

A foreign cargo vessel has been hijacked by Somali pirates in Maldivian waters, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has confirmed.

The Bolivian-flagged vessel was hijacked about 190 nautical miles northwest of Hoarafushi island in Haa Alif Atoll, said MNDF Spokesperson Major Abdul Raheem.

The MNDF have dispatched defence vessels to the scene of the hijacking. The vessel was identified on Somalia Report as the Iranian-owned MV EGLANTINE, with 23 crew members on board. The vessel, which has previously been named the Bluebell and the Iran Gilan, is owned by Darya Hafiz Shipping.

“Since it is a hijacking it is possible that the pirates will be armed. I cannot give further details on the mission. There are factors to be considered before going to a direct confrontation or rescue,” said Major Raheem. Foreign authorities have been asked for assistance, he confirmed.

The attack occurred this morning and was reported to the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) station on Villigili at 2:30pm.

Though acts of piracy have been reported near the Maldives Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Monday’s attack is the first to happen in Maldivian waters.

The Maldives is situated at a strategic intersection of sea trade routes, and a significant amount of global maritime traffic passes through or near the country’s northern atolls.

The Maldives’ government first expressed concern over the growing piracy threat in 2010 after small vessels containing Somali nationals began washing up on local islands. The castaways were given medical treatment and incarcerated while the government negotiated their repatriation.

Last week, the 40 Somali castaways in custody of the Maldives’ authorities refused to return home despite arrangements that were made for their safe repatriation.

The government had identified and obtained passports for the detainees and arranged a charter flight for their return to Somalia said a senior government official who worked on the case, but was unable to deport them against their will.

Refugees cannot be repatriated without consent under international conventions to which the Maldives is signatory, leaving the Maldives no legal recourse but to sign international conventions on the rights of refugees and migrant workers and their families and accept the Somali nationals as refugees.

In a special report on piracy in December 2010, Minivan News cited a European piracy expert who noted that increased policing of waters at a high risk of piracy was forcing pirates deeper and deeper into the Indian Ocean.

“We believe that this trend is due to the fact that the pirates are following the vessels – as merchant ships increase their distance from Somalia in order to feel ‘safer’, the pirates follow them resulting in attacks much farther east than ever before,” she said.

Concerns about rising piracy have also been expressed by yachting interests in the Maldives.

An American luxury passenger line en route to the Seychelles in January was stranded in the Maldivian waters due to “piracy risk”, while the passengers departed to the Seychelles through airline flights.

Secretary General of Maldives Association of Yacht Agents (MAYA), Mohamed Ali, told Minivan News at the time that the passenger line had arrived on December 29 and was scheduled to leave the same day after a brief stop near Male’.

However, he said the cruise captain had decided not to leave with the passengers on board due to “security reasons”, as there have been several attacks by pirates near the Seychelles.

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Protesters call for boycott of “coup-financer’s businesses”

Hundreds of people marched in Malé on Monday calling for a boycott of businesses they claimed were owned by those responsible for financing the alleged coup d’état on February 7.

The march was organised by the ousted Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the NOON campaign (‘Noon’ means ‘no’ in Dhivehi). The campaign is the second boycott campaign targeting businessmen who support President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik.

UK-based NGO Friends of Maldives (FOM) has also revived a 2006 selective boycott of resorts.

Both campaigns primarily target resorts and businesses owned by local tycoon MP Gasim Ibrahim, and Vice-President nominee Mohamed Waheed Deen. The NOON campaign also calls for a boycott of the food importer Euro Store and businesses owned by Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) Vice President Umar Naseer, PPM MP Ahmed Mahloof, Defense Minister Ahmed Nazim and MP “Redwave” Ahmed Saleem.

“We have numbers, they have money. If we don’t buy from them, they won’t get the money,” said Shamau Shareef, a member of the NOON campaign. “We want to show this brutal regime and its business tycoons that we citizens are against the coup and police brutality in the Maldives.”

A Euro Store marketing official who identified himself as Fahmy said the boycott was “not based on truth or facts.”

“We don’t think Euro Store will be affected. Our sales have actually increased since all of this happened,” he added.

Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb said he was “saddened” by FOM’s “irresponsible” resort boycott. “How did they derive these conclusions? What proof do they have?” he asked.

Consumer Boycott

Hundreds of protesters, waving yellow MDP flags, set out on foot and on motorbikes from Raalhugandu (surf point) at 5:00 pm calling on the public to boycott restaurants, shops and businesses that belong to “coup- financers.”

Products under boycott include Granini juice, popular Lavazza coffee, Red Bull energy drinks, Marlboro cigarettes and Lindt chocolate. These products are imported to the Maldives by Euro Store. Shops under boycott include MP Saleem’s ‘Redwave’ grocery chain and MP Mahloof’s clothing store ‘The Jeans’.

Protestors also called for a boycott of Gasim Ibrahim’s Villa Gas and his airline Flyme. The campaigners alleged Gasim Ibrahim to be one of the main financiers of the coup.

Rasheed Carpentry and Construction Company, alleged to have ties to defense minister Ahmed Nazim, and PPM VP Umar Naseer’s security services Alarms and Whale Submarine tourist attraction are also included in the list.

“We have a long list of businesses, but we are still verifying most of them,” Shamau Shareef said. The campaign was only targeting businesses who have expressed outward support for the alleged coup d’état, Shamau said.

“For example the Euro Store supplied lavazza coffee and Red Bull to the 23 December alliance,” he claimed. The December 23 alliance is a group of political parties and NGOs that stood up against deposed President Mohamed Nasheed, claiming his administration was “irreligious”.

The NOON campaign had gathered over 1400 supporters within 24 hours of its launch on Facebook on Sunday. “It’s caught on very quickly. People support this campaign. If we can get mass public support, then we can be quite effective,” Shamau said.

The campaign intends to distribute leaflets on products under boycott to every household in Malé city, he added.

Responsible Traveler

The Friends of Maldives first called for a boycott of resorts owned and operated by supporters of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in 2006. The NGO relaunched the selective boycott under the name Maldives Travel Advisory in late February.

The NGO stressed the campaign was not a boycott of the Maldives, but rather a boycott of resorts “linked to individuals or groups who we suspect to be involved in the subversion of democracy and in human rights abuses in the Maldives.”

Resorts are classified into categories; “those we encourage you to visit, those under consideration and those which should be avoided.”

Seven resorts are currently on the avoid list; six belong to Gasim Ibrahim and one belongs to Mohamed Waheed Deen. Twelve resorts connected to businessmen Salah Shihab, Abdullah Jabir and Hussein “Champa” Afeef are under consideration.

“We also urge you to consider the idea of being a responsible traveler. Don’t let your pleasant holiday contribute to the suffering of others, whether it is to the Maldives or to any other place,” FOM said.

Ahmed Adeeb said he was “unsure” if the campaign would be effective as FOM is based in the UK, and because the UK market competes with the European and the Chinese markets. However, he said the government was working to counter FOM’s claims.

“From day one of my appointment, I have been trying to address cancellations,” he said. The UK and Germany issued travel advisories following the February 7 unrest, but revoked them in early March.

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HRCM questions former Defence Minister over arrest of Chief Judge

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has summoned former Defence Minister Tholhath Ibrahim for questioning over the arrest of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed.

Speaking to the media yesterday, Tholath said he told the commission that the information about the arrest of the judge could not be revealed to HRCM as the matter concerned national security.

Tholhath told Minivan News that he had informed the commission that he would only answer questions related to human rights violations.

Tholhath was accompanied to the commission by lawyer Nooruban Fahmy, the sister of MDP Deputy Leader and MP Alhan Fahmy.

President of HRCM, Mariyam Azra, recently told Minivan News that the commission was hoping to conclude the investigation before next month.

On March 4, Police summoned Tholhath for questioning over former President Mohamed Nasheed’s arrest of Abdulla Mohamed.

Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed was arrested by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) on the evening of Monday, January 16, in compliance with a police request.

The judge’s whereabouts were not revealed until January 18. The MNDF acknowledged receipt but did not comply with Supreme Court orders to release the judge.

Opposition political parties held a series of protests which culminated on the morning of February 7 with police joining opposition demonstrators in an assault on the MNDF’s headquarters, and the resignation of Nasheed – allegedly under duress – and the handover of the presidency to Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan.

Last week, Former President Mohamed Nasheed was also summoned before HRCM, in connection to his role in the controversial detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed earlier this year.

The former president attributed the initial arrest call to his Defence Ministry, on the grounds of “protecting” national security relating to alleged ethical concerns about the judge.

On the day Nasheed resigned, Judge Abdulla was brought Male’ and released from his detention.

The first complaints against Abdulla Mohamed filed in July 2005 by then Attorney General Dr Hassan Saeed included allegations of misogyny, sexual deviancy, and throwing out an assault case despite the confession of the accused.

The judge also released a murder suspect “in the name of holding ministers accountable”, who went on to kill another victim.

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