Torture is a principle area of concern for the Maldives, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Aslam Shakir has said, appealing for support from the international community.
Shakir delivered his message at the closing ceremony of the National Dialogue on the Implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT), held last Thursday in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Shakir emphasised that the country needed to improve existing policies for torture elimination, and find new methods to sustain a torture-free Maldives.
Torture was considered a byproduct of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s government, Shakir alleged, stating that the practice “has no place in the Maldives today.”
“In the past it happened, but we got rid of that government. We are now in a democracy, and in a democracy torture should not be happening,” he said.
The minister called on the international community to provide support: “We don’t the either the funds or the experience to implement the systems we need to improve the issue of torture. The international community could help us by providing money, personnel and guidance,” he said.
Shakir claimed that the international community had been hesitant to engage with the Maldives on the question of torture.
“Part of the international community thinks that as a Muslim country, we have a tradition of violence and doing things our own way. But we would like them to let us explain our position,” he said. “We are struggling to build a democracy, and we would like the guidance of the international community.”
Former President of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, Ahmed Saleem, told Minivan News in an interview last year that the Maldives continued to have a pervasive “culture of torture”.
Former State Minister for Home Affairs, Mohamed Adil, who previously handled the Department of Penitentiaries and Rehabilitation, told Minivan News today that the government was successfully improving human rights issues.
“I would say, compared to the previous government, that we have reduced the issue of torture in the Maldives by 80 percent,” Adil said.
Adil said that even though the number of torture cases in the Maldives had fallen in recent years, it was important to continue working towards a torture-free society. He noted that the communication system between the public and the police had been improved.
“With the help of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM), the public is very much aware of what is happening in the prisons,” said Adil.
Concerns over prison and custodial torture were recently raised when President Nasheed appointed a special commission to re-investigate the 2003 shooting at Maafushi Jail. A source who was present at the time of the shooting told Minivan News that torture was a daily activity for prison guards.
Three of the Maafushi officers, who were convicted in the original investigation but released in 2004, have been put back in jail.
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Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Aslam Shakir has failed to understand why the international community has reservation on human right situation in Maldives. Minister Shakir should keep a track of hate filled ideology Adhalath party and its Mullahs are preaching specially in this month of Ramadan! True it is democracy, people have the right to speak and preach whatever they feel is correct! If these Mullahs have their way, Maldives will be another Afghanistan soon.
@hassan ahamed
So what's your suggestion? Gag the Adhaalath and the Mullahs? Torture them? Kill them all? Please enlighten!
@hassan ahamed
You need to be more specific in order to make yourself clear. What is the 'hate ideology' the Mullahs and the Adhalath party are preaching especially in Ramadan? Is your reference here to 'Islam'?
Dear Mr. Shakir,
No democracy has neglected or set aside 'torture'. Apparently, if you face the truth, thats the only way you can get anythn out of any criminal.
On the books, well we all know that's all cover up.
NO MOHAMED AMEEN ... NO NASIR ... NO GAYYOOM ... ONLY ANNI ... SO NO TORTURE IN THE MALDIVES. MIHAARU CLEAR DHO ...
NO ZZZZZZ. GAYYOOM ... NO ILYAS IBRAHIM .. NO ISHTHAFAA... NO AMBAREE ... NO ADAM ZAHIR ... NO ABDULLA RIYAZ ... NO YOOSUF SALEEM ... NO HABAREY SAUKATH ... NO KABAREY NAEEM ... NO BILAALAY ... NO UMAR NASEER ... NO JADHULLA NAZIM .. SUTTA MOHAMED ALI ... NO JADHU AHMED MANIKU ... NO MORE TORTURE IN THE MAKDIVES
Those in the military, especially those who were in-charges of the trainings have to take a direct responsibility for the culture of torture that was existing in the Maldives. The methods used to torture in prison, were directly borrowed from the kind of inhuman measures NSS recruits were put during their training in Girifushi. And now we have those who were the masterminds of these terrible activities in Girifushi in-charges of the Defence (Minister, vice Cheif..). So, one has to really question from where did the culture of tourture emerged and continued in Maldives. The answer is Girifushi.
in a democracy, the ruling party dos not sell off all the assets of the nation left right and centre either
I wanted to distinguish what can support a bee in entire's animation so that's forth it not who could not accord an literal answer.