abduction – Page 2 – Minivan News

Police arrest fourth suspect in connection with disappearance of Minivan News journalist

Police arrested a fourth suspect yesterday in connection with the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan.

A 25-year-old was taken into custody with an arrest warrant, police revealed, after which the Criminal Court granted an extension of remand detention for five days.

Police said “special efforts” are underway to investigate Rilwan’s disappearance and locate the missing journalist, declining to reveal any further details.

Rilwan has been missing for 53 days and is believed to have been abducted at knife point outside his apartment building in Hulhumalé around 2:00am on August 8.

On Sunday, police arrested three suspects – two 22-year-old men and one 24-year-old man – on suspicion of involvement in Rilwan’s disappearance. The Criminal Court extended the detention of the 22-year-old pair for five days and the 24-year-old man for seven days

The Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN) welcomed the arrests as “progress in the police investigation” and offered its support.

“The Criminal Court’s extension of their detention signifies progress in the investigation,” said MDN.

Police also told local media yesterday that the arrests represented progress in the investigation and that police were working on “reaching a good result”.

However, the police have yet to offer possible theories or lines of inquiry being followed in the investigation, noting on September 15 that no “conclusive evidence” has been found between Rilwan’s disappearance and a reported abduction outside his apartment building.

MDN meanwhile released an investigation report last week implicating radicalised gangs in Rilwan’s suspected abduction.

The investigation report by Glasgow-based Athena Security confirmed evidence of possible “hostile surveillance” of Rilwan at the Hulhumalé ferry terminal in Malé conducted by two known affiliates of Malé-based Kuda Henveiru gang. One of the suspects is identified as Ahmed Shiran Saeed.

Minivan News understands Shiran is currently in police custody for unrelated charges.

Citing the abduction of several young men in June by a vigilante group in a push to identify online activists advocating secularism or professing atheism, the report said gang activity in Rilwan’s abduction was a “strong possibility”.

The report noted increased radical activity among members of three main gangs in Malé – Bosnia, Kuda Henveiru, and Buru – and claimed members had participated in attacks against individuals they deem “un-Islamic”.

Rilwan had “regularly received clear threats to his life” for his outspoken criticism of religious extremists, the report said.

One man named in the report, vandalised Minivan News’ security camera on Thursday (September 25) shortly before two others buried a machete in the building’s door.

A Minivan News journalist received death threats shortly thereafter, which read, “You will be killed or disappeared next. Watch out.”

While police arrested a 32-year-old suspect Thursday night on charges of stealing the security camera – clearly identifiable on the CCTV footage – the Criminal Court released the suspect with conditions the following day.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) office was meanwhile set on fire in the early hours of the morning on Friday (September 26), and the door of former MDP MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor’s residence was set ablaze.

The arson attacks followed vandalism of the main opposition party’s office for two consecutive nights and numerous death threats sent from unlisted numbers to MDP MPs, the party’s senior members, and dozens of journalists.

“This is a war between the laadheenee [secular or irreligious] MDP mob and religious people. We advise the media not to come in the middle of this. We won’t hesitate to kill you,” read the threat to journalists.

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Three arrested in connection with Rilwan’s disappearance

The Maldives Police Services today confirmed three men have been arrested in relation to the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan.

Today marks the 51st day since Rilwan went missing. He is believed to have been abducted at knife point from outside his apartment building in Hulhumalé at 2am on August 8.

The Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN) has welcomed “progress in police investigation”, offering its support and calling upon the public to lend any assistance required to police.

The Criminal Court today extended the detention of two 22-year-old men for five days and a 24-year-old man for seven days, reported police who declined to reveal further details.

“The Criminal Court’s extension of their detention signifies a progress in the investigation,” said MDN.

The Maldives Police Service has yet to suggest any possible theories or lines of inquiry being followed, noting on September 16 that no “concrete evidence” could be found between Rilwan and a reported abduction outside his apartment shortly after his last sighting.

MDN last week released a report implicating radicalised gangs in Rilwan’s disappearance.

The investigative report by Glasgow based Athena Security confirmed evidence of possible “hostile surveillance” at the terminal conducted by two known affiliates of Malé based Kuda Henveiru gang. One of the suspects is identified as Ahmed Shiran Saeed.

Minivan News understands Shiran is currently in police custody for unrelated charges.

Citing a series of gang attacks against perceived secularists in June, the report said that gang activity in Rilwan’s abduction was a “strong possibility”.

Rilwan had “regularly received clear threats to his life” for his advocacy against religious extremists, the report said.

One man named in the report, vandalised Minivan News’ security cameras on Thursday and two others buried a machete in the building’s main door.

Minivan News journalists received death threats shortly afterwards warning them, “You will be killed or disappeared next. Watch out.”

The man seen tearing down the camera was arrested that same night, before being released by the Criminal Court on Friday on conditions that he cooperate with the police investigation, that he not leave Malé without informing police, and that he not cause any further disturbances.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) office was set on fire in the early hours of the morning following the attack on Minivan News, and the door of former MDP MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor’s residence was set ablaze.

The arson attack followed vandalism of the main opposition party’s office for two consecutive nights and numerous death threats sent from unlisted numbers to MDP MPs, senior members, and dozens of journalists.

The text message was sent to journalists from opposition-aligned private broadcaster Raajje TV, Vaguthu.mv and state broadcaster Television Maldives as well as other news outlets.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US embassy in Colombo, and international press freedom organisations have subsequently issued statements condemning the attack on the Minivan News office.

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Nasheed accuses Adhaalath leaders of radicalising youth

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has accused leaders of the religious conservative Adhaalath Party of radicalising and indoctrinating youth to carry out vigilante action in the name of Islam.

“Don’t do this to our youth. Don’t make them do all these vile deeds after picking them out individually and leading them astray,” the opposition leader appealed at a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) rally in Malé last night.

Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla is believed to have been abducted by a radicalised youth, Nasheed claimed.

“What he did was a crime, a very serious crime. But the person who convinced him to abduct Rilwan committed an even more serious crime,” he added.

A young person would not have been motivated to abduct Rilwan without indoctrination, the MDP president suggested.

“What I have to say to Sheikh Imran [Abdulla] and Sheikh [Mohamed] Shaheem is don’t play the role of satan in the guise of sheikhs,” Nasheed said, referring to the Adhaalath party president and Islamic minister, respectively.

The Islamic minister was not responding to calls at the time of press.

A private investigation commissioned by human rights NGO Maldivian Democracy Network has implicated radicalised gangs in Rilwan’s disappearance.

The findings of the investigation – conducted by Glasgow-based Athena Intelligence and Security – made public yesterday suggested that Rilwan was most likely to have been abducted.

Citing the abduction of several young men in June by a vigilante group in a push to identify online activists advocating secularism or professing atheism, the investigation report found gang activity in Rilwan’s abduction to be a “strong possibility.”

The abductions in June followed local media reports of a meeting between Islamic Minister Shaheem and youth groups who expressed concern over the harassment of Islam and the promotion of homosexuality.

Minivan News learned that individuals photographed in the meeting – and in a separate meeting with Home Minister Umar Naseer – formed part of the vigilante group that carried out the abductions.

Extremism

Nasheed meanwhile warned of the rise of Islamic extremism in the Maldives.

“It’s difficult to say ‘extreme’ Islamic principles. They are not Islamic principles. Islamic principles are not hard or soft. They are moderate. Islam is always moderate,” he said.

Islam was being misused for “undue advantage and political gain,” he continued, and youth were being made to commit “many vile deeds.”

“Harming people in the name of Islam, abducting people in the name of Islam, and killing people, I know for certain that – and you don’t have to be a religious scholar – that is not how it is in Islam, that we all know Islam is not a violent religion,” he said.

Earlier this month, Nasheed told the Independent newspaper in the UK that the vast majority of Maldivians fighting in Syria and Iraq were ex-military.

“Radical Islam is getting very, very strong in the Maldives. Their strength in the military and in the police is very significant. They have people in strategic positions within both,” he alleged.

Following the MDP’s claim in May that extremist ideologies were prevalent in the security services, the defence ministry dismissed the allegations at the time as both “baseless and untrue” and intended to “discredit and disparage” the military.

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) meanwhile issued a press release on Thursday (September 18) condemning Nasheed’s allegations.

While police estimated that about 24 persons with links to militant jihadist organisations might be active in the Maldives, MPS insisted that none of them were police officers.

“And the police leadership has always been working to ensure that such people are not formed within the police,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, the MDP asked yesterday for police to investigate death threats made against its MPs and senior members, who the party said were also being followed.

MDP MP Eva Abdulla received a text message last night threatening a suicide attack during the next MDP gathering. The message threatened to “kill off” MDP members and to fight “to the last drop of blood.”

MDP MP Imthiyaz Fahmy told Minivan News earlier this week that death threats have become too commonplace to publicise each incident.

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Maldives Democracy Network to release findings of investigation into Rilwan’s disappearance

Human rights advocacy group Maldives Democracy Network (MDN) is to release the findings of an investigation into missing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan tomorrow.

Rilwan – missing for 44 days – is believed to have been abducted from outside his apartment at knifepoint and pushed into a red car at approximately 2am on August 8.

“We are very concerned about Ahmed Rilwan’s disappearance on August 8, 2014. Hence, we decided to look into Rilwan’s disappearance and have commissioned a foreign expert to conduct an independent investigation,” MDN said in a statement today.

MDN will release the findings of the report during a press conference at 2:30pm tomorrow.

The Maldives Police Services have been criticised by numerous groups during the course of their investigation for the lack of progress and poor communication with those close to the case.

On September 16, the police said they had found “no concrete evidence” to link Rilwan’s disappearance with the abduction outside his apartment in Hulhumalé.

Eyewitnesses told Minivan News they had reported the incident to the police and that officers had recovered a knife from the scene. The passports of four individuals have been held in relation to the case.

Hundreds of people marched on Malé streets last Friday evening (September 19) calling on the Maldives Police Services to answer questions regarding Rilwan’s abduction.

Members of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM), civil society organisations, journalists, and opposition Maldivian Democratic Party members joined the ‘Suvaalu March’ (Question March). The march across the capital was led by Rilwan’s family, friends, and colleagues.

Demonstrators carried boards addressing the police and asking ‘What happened to Rilwan?’ ‘Where is the red car?’, ‘Where is the knife?’, ‘Why are you diverting the investigation from Hulhumalé?’, and ‘Who are you afraid of?’

The march ended with a prayer at Artificial Beach.

Minivan News Deputy Editor Zaheena Rasheed said the police must answer questions regarding Rilwan’s disappearance or disappearances may become the norm in the Maldives.

Rilwan’s brother Moosa Rilwan noted an increase in violent crime in the Maldives with 31 people killed since 2007.

“Pepetrators have been brought to justice only in a handful of cases. Police failure to conduct a thorough investigation has led to increase in knifings. We must hold the police accountable in Rilwan’s case and we must find him,” he said.

“We are extremely concerned over the slow progress in investigation and call on the authorities to take this case seriously.”

In response, Commissioner of Police Hussein Waheed said he would not release any information that may impede police investigations regardless of demonstrations.

Speaking at the Haa Dhaal Hanimaadhoo Island police station today, Waheed said that revealing information midway through the investigation may affect society and harm certain people.

However, Moosa Rilwan said police should be able to tell the family by now what line of investigation they are pursuing.

“I believe they must have enough information to tell us if he was abducted, disappeared, or has gone into hiding,” he said.

Rilwan’s family met with the HRCM and Police Integrity Commission last week to share concerns over the police’s handling of the investigation, requesting the two commissions pressure the police for a thorough and speedy investigation.

Several international organisations, including Office of the Human Rights Commissioner, Reporters Without Borders, and the Committee to Protect Journalists, have called on the Maldives’ authorities to expedite investigations.

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IFJ and MJA again urge government to expedite Rilwan case

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Maldives Journalists’ Association (MJA) released a further press statement expressing concerns over “the slow progress made in the search of journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla”.

“Today marks one month since Rilwan was last seen yet the IFJ remains critical of the investigation and the release of information by the authorities,” the statement dated September 8 reads.

“The huge public response to Rilwan’s disappearance shows the strong desire for justice and answers, not only by his journalistic colleagues but the public at large,” the statement quotes IFJ acting director Jane Worthington as saying.

Rilwan was last spotted on CCTV footage at the Hulhumalé Ferry Terminal. Eye witnesses report seeing a man fitting Rilwan’s description being forced into a vehicle at knife point in front of his residence at approximately the time Rilwan would have reached his residence.

The IFJ states that evidence found by Minivan News – later corroborated by other media outlets – suggests Rilwan was abducted, while the authorities have so far not provided any information which links the reported abduction in Hulhumalé to Rilwan’s disappearance.

“One month on, the demand for answers remains strong and if the figures the police provide are correct, there is vital information that is not being shared with the media that might find the culprits behind his disappearance,” said the statement.

The IFJ previously released a statement last month calling upon authorities to undertake a full investigation with the “utmost seriousness, with all findings released to the public.”

“The disappearance of journalists is a serious matter and full support must be provided to the family,” read the August statement.

Rilwan’s family have resorted to lobbying the People’s Majlis in order to gain information about the investigation, noting last week that police updates on the investigation did not included evidence on progress.

The most recent police statement noted that they had questioned 318 individuals, interrogated 111, searched 139 locations in Hulhumalé and conducted dives to search 267,197.5 square meters of ocean.

“These are just statistics,” responded Rilwan’s brother, Moosa at the time. “We want to find him. We want the police to tell us if they have any leads, if there is progress”.

The Human Rights Commission of Maldives and the Maldives Democracy Network have also suggested the police should be conducting investigations more transparently. The UK government has this week expressed concern over the disappearance.

Speaking to Minivan News today, police media officials said that there were no further developments in the investigation that could be shared with media or the public.

Meanwhile, Rilwan’s family and friends continue in their efforts to find him and spread awareness about the disappearance.

In a social media campaign dubbed ‘Find Moyameehaa‘ – referring to the pseudonym adopted by Rilwan on social media – friends and family have so far conducted various activities in the streets of Malé.

Efforts included the gathering of 5000 signatures on the Majlis petition in just over one week, and a gathering for families victims of violent crimes.

“Friends and family will once again be meeting the public on Friday afternoon from 4 to 6pm at the Artificial Beach,” Rilwan’s long time friend Yameen Rasheed explained.

According to Yameen, Friday’s event will be focused on addressing questions surrounding Rilwan’s suspected abduction, spreading information about Rilwan and the loss society will face in losing young minds like him, sharing various literary works he has produced, and conducting a special prayer in hope of his quick and safe return.

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Missing journalist’s family concerned over slow progress in search

Missing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla’s family has expressed concern over slow progress in the Maldives Police Service’s three-week long search.

The police released a statement on Thursday night claiming it had questioned 318 individuals, interrogated 111, searched 139 locations in Malé’s suburb island Hulhumalé and searched 267,197.5 square meters of ocean.

“These are just statistics. We want to find him. We want the police to tell us if they have leads, if there is progress,” Rilwan’s brother Moosa Rilwan told Minivan News today.

“We want to know what the results of these extensive searches are. It’s been a month, my family and I fear for his life,” Moosa said.

Rilwan was last seen boarding the Hulhumalé ferry on August 8 at 12:55am. Evidence gathered by Minivan News suggests Rilwan was abducted.

Abduction

Eyewitnesses told Minivan News they saw a man being forced into a car at knifepoint in front of Rilwan’s apartment building at the time he is expected to have reached his house. The abductors dropped the knife and eyewitnesses reported the incident to the police. Minivan News understands the police confiscated the knife from the scene.

The police have said they took in two cars and have conducted forensic tests. Samples have also been sent abroad for further tests. Meanwhile, four individuals’ passports have also been withheld in connection to the case.

According to Moosa, the police have so far refused to publicly comment on whether there is a connection between the abduction and Rilwan’s disappearance.

“If the incident is not connected to Rilwan’s disappearance, who was abducted? What did the police do on the night after the abduction was reported? Why have they taken in two cars in relation to Rilwan’s disappearance?” Moosa questioned.

“Why have the police withheld passports? Have they been questioned? Are the police not afraid these men may go into hiding in the country?”

The police’s statement raises more questions than answers, he added.

Extensive search

According to the police, a specialist crime command team consisting of police officers from the intelligence department, forensics department, marine police specialist operations and divisional operations are working around the clock on the case.

The team is analysing 719 hours of CCTV footage from 101 cameras at 48 locations along the route Rilwan is believed to have traveled in Malé on the night of his disappearance.

Police are also investigating 638,000 cellphone numbers that have hit cell towers along the same route, the statement said.

Some 18 vessels in Hulhumalé lagoon including Safari boats, all of the beach area and empty lots in Hulhumalé, eight houses in Malé’s, four locations and the waste dump in Malé’s second suburb island Villingili were also searched, the police said.

Rilwan’s family will continue to support the police in the search, Moosa said.

The Human Rights Commission has also released a statement noting that it had yet to be updated on the authorities’ attempts to locate the missing journalist, despite having made a request for information more than two weeks ago.

Pressure up

An Avaaz petition has been launched calling on the Maldives government to expedite the search to find Rilwan and to guarantee a safe environment for all journalists, human rights defenders and bloggers in the Maldives.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party has tabled the case with the People’s Majlis Security Services or 241 committee.

Minivan News understands Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer, Commissioner of Police Hussein Waheed and Minister of Defense and National Security Mohamed Nazim were summoned to the confidential committee hearing on Thursday.

Rilwan’s friends and family have also gathered 5000 signatures on a Majlis petition calling on the parliament to press for a thorough and speedy investigation.

The family has offered MVR200,000 (US$ 12,945) for any information on Riwlan’s whereabouts.

Maldives media have also called for a speedy investigation in a joint statement and have met with the Commissioner of Police, MPs from the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives and MDP, Prosecutor General and Majlis Speaker Abdulla Maseeh regarding the case.

International organisations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Committee to Project Journalists (CPJ) and the UNHCR, have expressed concern over Rilwan’s disappearance.

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Missing journalist’s mother calls on families of violent crime victims to unite for justice

Missing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla’s mother has urged all families of victims of violent crime to work together to ensure justice.

In an emotional letter today, Aminath Easa, 67, appealed to mothers of victims to hold the Maldives ailing justice system and law enforcement agencies accountable.

A meeting of families has been called for Wednesday September 3, at 9pm in Malé City Hall.

“The Maldives first saw knife attacks, then murders. My son’s disappearance signals the start of a culture of disappearing people. Your child has been a victim of knife attacks and murder attempts. Have you received justice? Let us, mothers, today stand together for justice,” she said.

“Today my son has disappeared. I do not know whose child will disappear next. It is the Maldives Police Services tasked with protecting our children and us. It is the courts tasked with ensuring justice for us in times of injustice. However, we have to work together to expedite their services and hold them accountable. My humble appeal to you mothers is to join me in this task, for your rights and the rights of your children.”

Today marks the 24th day since Rilwan’s disappearance. Evidence gathered by Minivan News suggests Rilwan was abducted. Eyewitnesses said they saw a man being forced into a car at knifepoint infront of Rilwan’s apartment building on the night he disappeared.

The Maldives Police Services have revealed very little information on the case. The passports of four individuals have reportedly been held over the case.

Minister of Defense and National Security Mohamed Nazim said on Saturday he was hopeful of Rilwan’s safe return.

“I want to inform you, the Maldives government is doing all necessary, and I have hope, God willing, that Ahmed Rilwan will be found,” he said.

Rilwan’s family and friends have meanwhile launched an extensive campaign to pressure government, including petitions, meeting state agencies, and raising public awareness on the issue.

Signatures are being gathered on a petition urging the People’s Majlis national security committee to pressure the police for a thorough investigation. The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party had lodged the case with the committee on August 18.

An Avaaz petition has also been launched today calling on the Maldives government to expedite the search to find Rilwan and to guarantee a safe environment for all journalists, human rights defenders and bloggers in the Maldives.

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) have now asked the People’s Majlis to convene an emergency meeting of the security services or 241 committee. The party has also lodged the case with the government oversight committee.

On August 19, the MDP also sponsored an emergency motion calling on law enforcement agencies to step up efforts to find Rilwan. The motion was accepted with 51 votes in favor, but there has been no progress on the motion yet.

Full text of Aminath Easa’s letter:

From a mother to a mother,
I remember very well the day my son Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla was born. I can still hear his first cries. His first smile is ingrained in my heart. I can still see him start to crawl and start to walk before my eyes. I can still feel him holding tight onto my fingers as if it were yesterday. I still remember his first day of school. As a boy, he was never one to argue with me over any disputes. At the most, he would leave the house. When he returned, he would be quiet and would carry on as if nothing has happened.
My son, Rilwan, pays attention to religion. He prays, he fasts and he recites the Qur’an. He asks questions over religion and worldly affairs. He is a quiet and mild mannered young man. A brother who keeps up good relations with his family. A son who participates in his father’s work. An uncle who brings happiness to his nieces and nephews. He is my beloved son who is always ready to help me.
You mothers would share the same feelings I have for my son. I love my son Rilwan deeply, just as you do your children. No mother would wish for her child to disappear without a trace. In the past 24 days, all I have heard is that Rilwan may have been forced into a car in the early hours of the morning. That a knife was seen at the scene. That some parties were questioned. If it were your child who has been disappeared, would you not move heaven and earth to find him? Would you not go begging to all to find him? Would you not attempt to secure justice?
The Maldives first saw knife attacks, then murders. My son’s disappearance signals the start of a culture of disappearing people. Your child has been a victim of knife attacks and murder attempts. Have you received justice? Let us, mothers, today stand together for justice.
Today my son has disappeared. I do not know whose child will disappear next. It is the Maldives Police Services tasked with protecting our children and us. It is the courts tasked with ensuring justice for us in times of injustice. However, we have to work together to expedite their services and hold them accountable. My humble appeal to you mothers is to join me in this task, for your rights and the rights of your children.
The first meeting of the families of victims of disappearance, knife attacks and murder attempts will be held on September 3, Wednesday at 9:00 pm at the Malé City Hall. I request you to join me and participate in this undertaking.

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Friends and family of missing journalist seek to submit a petition to parliament

Friends and family of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan are petitioning the Majlis, posing a series of questions which the family believes “arose due to the negligence of the Maldives Police Services in searching for Rilwan.”

“These are also matters on which state institutions have so far conducted no work in order to reach the truth,” read the questions to be submitted to the national security committee.

The petition calls on all relevant authorities to provide answers for the following questions, urging thorough investigation into the following issues:

What is the standard operating procedure for police once a report, such as the abduction that took place on August 8 in Hulhumalé, is lodged? Did police follow these procedures following the said incident?

To what extent have police explored the possibility of a connection between the abduction reported on August 8 and the report of Rilwan being missing on August 13?

What work has been conducted to date in the search for Rilwan? What are the current concerns and thoughts of the police regarding the condition and situation Rilwan might be in at present?

While friends and family who are working together to search for Rilwan have received multiple threats via SMS and other mediums, to what extent have the police provided them with assistance and protection? Additionally, to what extent have police explored the possibility of a connection between those issuing such threats and the disappearance of Rilwan?

Organisers of the petition are currently holding a variety of events through which they aim to collect the 3000 signatures required before it can be submitted to parliament.

Last weekend (August 29 and 30) friends and family held an event at the Artifiical Beach where signatories of the petition were given free t-shirts printed with the message ‘Today Rilwan has been forcefully disappeared. Will it be me tomorrow?’

Additionally, the group provided a screen projection in the same area on Saturday night displaying video clips of messages from Rilwan’s family and friends.

According to Yameen Rasheed – long time friend of Rilwan who is among the volunteers at the event – the group has already gathered over 1500 signatures, while today (August 31)) volunteers are covering different areas of Malé in order to seek more signatures.

“Friends and family have made tremendous efforts to seek the public’s support in finding Rilwan. This is sadly in contrast with the continued silence from the state,” Yameen stated.

State response

On Thursday, August 28, Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed was summoned to parliament’s national security committee.

While the meeting was held behind closed doors, police released a press statement on the same day, revealing some details of the investigation as it has proceeded to date.

According to the statement, police have questioned 198 persons and taken statements from 80, including neighbours of Rilwan in Hulhumalé. It also stated that 293 hours of CCTV footage from over 30 locations are being reviewed and analysed.

Police also claim to have searched all public and industrial areas of the island, as well as an additional 50 places for which they had obtained warrants.

The island of Farukolhufushi – formerly Club Faru resort – near Hulhumalé, vessels moored at Hulhumalé harbour, and a number of other local islands have also been searched, the statement continued.

Police also claim that in relation to the reports of an abduction in Hulhumalé on August 8, officers were doing forensic tests on samples taken from three different cars.

The statement did not say whether any concrete information was gathered from these interviews and other investigative measures.

Meanwhile, Minister of Defence Mohamed Nazim speaking at a DhiTV event held on Saturday (August 31) that the government is doing all necessary to find Rilwan, saying “there is hope that we will find him”.

Minister of Youth and Sports Mohamed Maleeh Jamaal has also tweeted a similar message, stating “Government has mobilised all necessary resources to find #Rilwan. The search should continue #findmoyameehaa”.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has also met with friends and family of Rilwan on Saturday, pledging assistance to the cause.

In a press conference held on Sunday, newly-elected MDP Vice President Mohamed Shifaz stated that the party will work from within the parliament and all other possible avenues to assist the search for the missing journalist.

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MVR50,000 offered for information leading to Rilwan’s return

The family of journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla have offered a reward of MVR50,000 (US$3,240) for information leading to the successful return of the 28-year-old, missing for 15 days.

“We feel that this investigation is very slow compared to the seriousness of the problem,” explained Rilwan’s brother, Moosa.

“And the government is not taking this seriously.”

Moosa called on anyone with relevant information to contact the family on 7791120 or 7773250.

Following criticism of President Abdulla Yameen’s response to questions regarding the disappearance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Thursday evening (August 21) expressing “deep concern”.

Rilwan was last seen on the Malé-Hulhumlé ferry in the early hours of August 8, less than an hour before neighbours reported seeing a man forced into a vehicle outside his home.

Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon also expressed concern regarding acts of intimidation and reprisals to journalists in general.

“Freedom of media facilities a greater degree of interconnectedness and awareness in the community, and is the cornerstone of any democratic society. Therefore, the protection and safety of journalists is fundamental not only at an individual level, but at a national and international level as well,” read the statement.

Rilwan’s disappearance has prompted media outlets across the political spectrum to band together, with a joint statement calling for an end to a persistent culture of media intimidation expected later today.

All media outlets involved in the statement are now prepared to call Rilwan’s disappearance a case of abduction.

“We are very grateful for all journalists’ support,” said Minivan News News Editor Zaheena Rasheed, who has spearheaded the coalition of concerned journalists.

“Rilwan’s disappearance comes at a time of continued intimidation of the press. We want to send out the message that we will not allow such intimidation to continue.”

Threats made against journalists covering gang violence in June followed a series of attacks on media facilities and personnel over the past two years.

The attempted murder of blogger Ismail Hilath Rasheed in 2012 was followed by the near-fatal beating of journalist Ibrahim ‘Asward’ Waheed and the later arson attack on his employer Raajje TV in 2013.

No convictions have been made in relation to any of these incidents, although two men are currently on trial for the Asward attack.

Following Rilwan’s disappearance, threats against media personnel have continued, with discussions amongst journalists revealing an extended and pervasive campaign of intimidation cutting across political party lines.

Police raided a number of residences in the capital Malé on Thursday evening though police told local media that they were unable to reveal whether the searches were in relation to the missing journalist.

The Home Ministry last week assured that Rilwan’s disappearance had been given “high priority”, with a team of 40 officers now working alongside divers from the Maldives National Defence Force in the search.

A statement released by police on Wednesday (August 20) called for an end to public criticism of its investigation.

“It is with regret we note that some politicians and media outlets have been spreading false information that leads public to feel concerned about police work,” read the statement.

“Although the police did not provide every detail of every measurement taken by the police or every work police did, for security reasons, the police have provided details to adequate people.”

After interviewing witnesses regarding the abduction, Minivan News delayed publication after consultation with police, for the above reasons. After publication by other media outlets, however, Minivan felt compelled to release sufficient details to the public to make clear the nature of the case.

“The police advises not to politicise the issue concerning the missing journalist and not to spread information that will lead people to be concerned of police work, to all the politicians and media outlets that work as such,” continued the statement.

Numerous international groups, including the UN Office for the Commissioner of Human Rights and Reporters Without Borders, have expressed concern over the disappearance and called for a swift response from authorities.

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