The Criminal Court today sentenced Mariyam Nazaha, 22, of Henveriu Bainkendige, charged with murdering her ex-husband, to life imprisonment and ordered her to fast for two months.
According to the Criminal Court, Nazaha admitted that she attacked her ex-husband, Hassan Shahid, with a knife on June 22, 2010 at around 3:00pm.
The medico-legal report stated that Shahid had died that at 4:15pm on the same day from injuries caused by the stabbing, said the Criminal Court.
Air and blood gathered in the left side of Shahid’s back resulted in his death, the report stated.
Delivering the verdict, Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed ordered Nazaha to fast for two months for repentance and to remain in prison for 25 years.
Nazaha was not sentenced to death because out of all the heirs of Shahid only one wished to avenge his death with hers; under Islamic shariah all heirs must request the death penalty for the court to sentence the accused to execution.
In June last year, a witness told Minivan News that he saw the victim run out of Baikendi in the Henveiru district of Male’ and enter a nearby shop and ask the shopkeeper to call the police as he had been stabbed.
“At first people in the shop thought he was joking, but then he took his hands from the wound and showed them the blood,” said the source. “He was stabbed once in the lower back.”
He said Nazaha’s ex-husband often visited Nazaha’s house to see their child but was never allowed inside, adding that the incident may have been the result of a court ruling that time regarding the child’s guardianship.
At the trial, Nazaha’s lawyer argued that she exhibited “battered woman syndrome” and should therefore be acquitted.
Prior to murdering her ex-husband, Nazaha had allegedly filed several reports of harassment and violence by Shahid with the Maldives Police Service, and with the Gender Department at the Ministry of Health and Family.
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The system failed her miserably when they did not protect her against the abuse. Now the system fails her again by sentencing her to jail for life. Why does the criminal court judges set free men who consistently hurt, maim and murder people, but happily sentence a woman to life.
Self defence, manslaughter...are not concepts considered. Stabbed-dead-murder-death penalty.
The authorities failed to protect this woman from her loser bully ex. Now they top off their ineptness with this travesty of justice.
Besides we all know she was convicted not because she stabbed him, its because she did not have the foresight to threaten the witnesses against testifying in court.
keekuran umurah hukum kury, eyna dham jasaa maram vy
I have to agree with you Aishath on this. How can this be called murder?
At worst this is manslaughter and not murder.
The system failed her before and now justice failed her again.
The problem is that our judges are not educated enough to handle an complex issues.
I hope that this lady gets a decent lawyer and takes this matter all the way to the Supreme Court.
Nazahath was kicked and kicked by the ex husband by foot one day in broad daylight while she lay on the floor of the reception area of former HEAT gym.
I am assuming jail is a small price to pay if she can live without the constant fear of being humiliated and violated every day of her life by her ex husband.
I applaud Nazaahath for breaking free from a man.
It's a man's world here in Maldives. Abuse of women and children are merely frowned upon ! This man abused her through out life and when she left him, punished her by trying to take away her child. Shame on the stupid justice system for seeing everything with islam tinted gender biased eyes. And why should she fast for 2 months, was it just a hungry judgement made since it is fasting month??? wrong and unfair on so many levels!
The Judiciaries thoughts are :
Women are not equal to men. They must obey their husbands, regardless of how the husbands treat them. Its the Islamic law.
So, if the judges can, she will be whipped, stoned to death and left to rot in the sands.
@ Manik on Sun, Well our judges do not need to be educated enough to give a verdict. Well pal he is supposed to give the verdict of mighty Allah; maybe the judges can consult with Adhaalath party, the mullahs would be very pleased to give different version of verdicts.
What's this 2 month fasting attached to the sentence?
yeah. why is she required to fast for two months? to make some savings on the prison kitchen expenses? or was the judge so hungry (trial during ramadan day) during sentencing that he wanted to take that out on her as well?
@jamsheed.
Exactly. The judge must have been so hungry, he lashed out his anger at her as well. But, why only 2 months fasting? Why not for life!
@ Bettina
Nazaha has gained 19 kiols of weight since she was jailed. So the judge thought the only way of getting her to loose weight will be by asking her to fast. Jail food is not too bad, after all. Ask the repeat offenders if you do not believe me.
the judge must be a dietician. did his verdict also include plans for what she should eat during the rest of her sentence?
Only in the Maldives. I wonder what would have happened if she was sentenced during Eid.
I agree with Aishath too. It's a failure of the system.
she was asked to fast because when a muslim kills another muslim by mistake they are supposed to fast for two whole months as a form of repentance.. she was suffering from this syndrome and according to her she was defending herself not trying to kill him.. but it happened eventually.. yes, government has failed her by not taking action previously.. otherwise her husband would've been alive, atleast in jail..