Tag: Haveeru

Death Penalty!?: Dr Hassan Saeed

“We should be clear on why want to carry out the death penalty. Do we want it as deterrence or as a discharge of a divine obligation?” Dr Hassan Saeed, Special Advisor to President Waheed, has asked the question in an opinion piece for Haveeru.

“Last week I talked about the murder of my friend Ahmed Najeeb. Knowing him well as I did I sought to rationalize how we as a society should respond to such a senseless act. I felt it was the least I could do to honour his memory and make some sense of this tragedy.

It is also right that we consider our emotions too. As well as sadness there is anger. That anger can drive us to seek retribution as a form of justice. Seeking an equivalent penalty from the murderer could be seen as a form of fairness and has a long history across religions and cultures throughout the world. It is not just particular to us in the Maldives.

I have seen the use of execution with my own eyes. As a teenager I witnessed two people being hanged in Faisalabaad, Pakistan. I was close to the platform setup for the hanging. The hanging was announced in advance. I went to see the event. And found a space reasonably close to the platform.  It was a vast open field and the whole place was full. I have never seen such a huge crowd.

I saw the two men brought to the place of execution. When the two of were brought in front of the crowd the public cursed. Their hands and legs were tied. Their faces were covered in a sack like cloth piece. When they were hanged I saw them struggling. There was deafening silence. Finally their struggle came to an end. Doctors checked and the bodies were taken away.

The military ruler of Pakistan General Ziyaul Haqq clearly knew what he was doing. He was carrying out Quranic punishment. He believed pubic execution would be the best form of deterrence.

It certainly affected me. Even some 27 years later I still have clear memories of that day. I am sure lot of others who witnessed that event would remember that too.

But I haven’t committed murder because of that experience. It was because I believe it is wrong. It is an offence. One of my neighbours who also witnessed the hanging was arrested shortly afterwards for attempted murder! Apparently the incident did not deter him.

Following the murder of lawyer Najeeb lots of people are calling for the death penalty. Perhaps the loudest argument in favour of it is that it would deter offenders. I will come back to the issue of deterrence, but there are a lot of issues in this debate, which in a short article, one cannot do full justice to.

Some are legal issues that I am aware of from my professional work. The death penalty is very expensive to administer. It is a lucrative area for lawyers as appeals will take years. Do we want a justice system that costs the Maldivian people even more than imprisonment? It can also be arbitrary where the quality of the defence counsel will determine the outcome as much as the actual guilt of the suspect.”

Read More.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Government, MDP Chairman, trade threats of jail time

Fresh from his election as Chairman of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik has said the those found guilty of being involved in what his party alleges was a coup would be jailed for a long time, reports Haveeru.

Moosa’s comments comes two days after the same newspaper quoted the Home Minister and Deputy Leader of the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) Mohamed Jameel Ahmed as saying that former President Mohamed Nasheed’s crimes would see him go to prison .

Nasheed’s alleged crimes, said Jameel last week, were due to reach the Prosecutor General’s desk within a week.

“[The charges] include the case known to all which is the unconstitutional arrest and subsequent detention of Criminal Court’s Chief Judge. I’m quite certain that Anni (Nasheed) would be found guilty in that case by a court of law,” Jameel claimed in Haveeru.

Moosa responded to these claims today that it is Jameel, amongst others, who will be jailed.

“We will not be afraid of Jameel, we will not be afraid of Habeeb, neither will we be afraid of Nazim,” Moosa is reported to have said.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Haveeru hands out sports awards

Haveeru last night issued 23 Sports Awards to players of football, basketball and volleyball.

The Golden Boot award was given along with a cash prize of Rf 20,000 (US$1,297) was given to football player Ibrahim ‘Oppo’ Fazeel. Last season, Fazeel scored 29 goals–one goal more than Ali ‘Dhagandey’ Ashfag.

Ashfag, however, was recognised as ‘best footballer’ with Rf 30,000 (US$1,945) in cash. Fazeel ranked second for the award while Mohamed ‘Bakaa’ Arif took third, each receiving Rf 15,000 (US$972) along with trophies.

Asadhullah Abdullah was named ‘best footballer’ under the age of 21.

In basketball, Ismail Vildhaan Yoosuff won the best male basketball player award under age 21, while Ruleyha ‘Rizy’ Ibrahim won in the female category of the same age group. Mohamed Zilaal was recognised as best male basketball player of the year, and Aminath Shiura won in the female category.

In volleyball, Ahmed Anil Naseer and Hawwa Rasheed won ‘best player’ for the ‘under 21’ category. Ishan ‘Batis’ Mohamed and Suhana Ahmed won ‘best player’ for the game overall.

Awards for best referee and best coach were given to Mohamed Fareed and volleyball coach Can Vanli, respectively.

Ibrahim Ismail received a lifetime achievement award. Ismail is president of the Olympic committee.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Male’ City Council denies plans to erect signs banning ‘immodest dressing’

Male’ City Council member Ahmed Falah has denied media reports today that the council has decided to put up sign boards banning immodest dressing to discourage tourists from wearing bikinis on beaches and other public areas in the capital.

Local newspaper Haveeru reported Male’ City Council member Ibrahim Shujau as telling the paper that the council had received complaints from the public that tourists had been wearing improper clothing around the capital’s beach. He reportedly said the council met with the Tourism Ministry and decided to put up sign board to inform tourists that improper clothing was not allowed.

However, Falah today said that the council has not made any such decision.

‘’I am sure that the council has not decided anything like that,’’ Falah said. ‘’Media reports are incorrect.’’

Speaking to Minivan News earlier this year, Secretary General of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI), ‘Sim’ Mohamed Ibrahim acknowledged that such occurrences would be a challenge for the mid-market tourism ambitions of the Maldives.

“The way it is currently structured is that alcohol is banned and there is a dress code for inhabited islands. Unless the regulations are changed – and I’m not saying they should be relaxed – tourist areas will need to be separated from local areas. In Male’ people cannot drink alcohol openly and nobody wears bikinis – it isn’t a problem.”

Ibrahim suggested that unless there were demarcated tourist areas, “there will always be these kinds of issues. It’s not an Adhaalath party issue or necessarily a religious issue – Western tourist dress is very different from traditional Maldivian dress.”

In April this year The Criminal Court sentenced a man to six months imprisonment after he was found guilty of ‘skinny dipping’ (swimming naked) in the Artificial Beach in Male’.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

HarperCollins confirms Maldives not being erased from Times Atlas as global warming statement

The Maldivian government has written to the editor of the UK’s Telegraph newspaper seeking “clarification and apology” for a satirical article claiming that the Maldives was to be erased from the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World as a statement on global warming.

The article, by climate skeptic James Deringpole, cited a fictitious spokesperson from Times Atlas as implying that the Maldives’ position on climate change was “a publicity stunt, cooked up by green activist Mark Lynas, to blackmail the international community into giving the Maldives more aid money while simultaneously trying to lure green Trustafarians to come and spend £1500 a night in houses on stilts with gold-plated organic recyclable eco-toilets made of rare earth minerals from China.”

In a letter to the Telegraph’s Editor, Tony Gallagher, Acting High Commissioner Ahmed Shiian wrote that “to suggest, even in satire, that the plight of our country in the face of sea-level rise is simply some kind of con-trick to raise guilt money from the international community is despicable and hurtful to all of us, whose country is indeed one of the most vulnerable on Earth to global warming.”

Shiian added that Delingpole’s “leaden attempts at humour” had  already had “unfortunate political consequences in the Maldives”, after his invented quotes from a Times Atlas spokesperson “were reported as fact in the Maldives media, and the opposition party of the former dictatorship has used this to accuse the President of undermining the country and national pride.”

Minivan News yesterday contacted the publisher of the Times Atlas, HarperCollins, which confirmed that the story was bogus.

“Of course we have no plans to erase the Maldives, Tuvalu or major parts of Bangladesh from the next edition,” a spokesperson told Minivan News, also confirming that the spokesperson cited by Deringpole was not a HarperCollins employee.

“Like the rest of the piece, he is a fiction,” she said.

Major media outlets in the Maldives, including Haveeru, Miadhu and Sun Online, continued to carry the story this morning, although Haveeru had amended its version to reference “unconfirmed reports”.

The stories generated strong sentiment among the many who commented on it, with many blaming President Nasheed for the underwater cabinet meeting which had led to the Maldives “being wiped off the map”.

A senior source in the President’s Office told Minivan News that the story had stirred up strong sentiments and now the perception risked running ahead of the reality.

“It is hugely irresponsible journalism not to acknowledge when you’ve made a mistake. Standard procedure all over the world is to do a retraction,” the source said.

Editor of Sun Online and President of the Maldives Journalists Association (MJA), Ahmed Hiriga Zahir, told Minivan News that he had edited Sun’s story and was under the impression that it was genuine.

“I didn’t thoroughly check the original,” he acknowledged, “but I did read the Maldivian media. Why would the [UK] media report it [incorrectly]? I think the original media should correct it. If the Maldivian media reported it and they know it is not the truth, they should also correct it,” he added.

Press Secretary for the President, Mohamed Zuhair, said the government was approaching the Broadcasting Commission and the Maldives Media Council asking it “to insist the mainstream media be responsible, and not to take silly blogs as mainstream news.”

Zuhair said he suspected the media had “deliberately misinterpreted” the story to mislead the public and generate anti-government sentiment.

“Many of these outlets were the government organs of yesteryear, and many of their journalists have not reconciled themselves with the days when they were calling the current President a vagabond and a terrorist,” Zuhair said.

“Presenting this story as serious news is misleading, and people have been misled – they are calling up the morning radio programs concerned that the Maldives has been taken off the map. The media should be responsible and publish a retraction, but I doubt they will do it – you can wake up a person who is asleep, but you can’t wake up a person who is pretending to be asleep.”

MP for former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s new political party, the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) Ahmed Mahlouf, yesterday sent out a mass text message informing people of the supposed decision to erase the Maldives from the map, blaming President Mohamed Nasheed for holding the underwater cabinet meeting and ”erasing the country, erasing religion and erasing the people.”

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

“Issues with amounts paid” says Taxation Commissioner of GMR payments

GMR Male International Airport will be subject to a tax audit, according to reports in local newspaper Haveeru, with the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) contesting the airport service charge and oil re-export royalties paid to the government did not match expected amounts.

Commissioner General of Taxation, Yazeed Mohamed, told Haveeru that MIRA was acquiring necessary documents from the Immigration Department, Customs and the Maldives Airport Company.

“We are authorised, under the law, to procure documents and conduct tax audits. We looked into the speculations and found that there are some issues with the amounts paid,” he told Haveeru.

A GMR spokesperson meanwhile told Haveeru that both charges were calculated based on information stored in the company’s departure databases: “We’d welcome all those who like to pay a visit and check the information. We haven’t committed any act of deception,” the official was quoted as saying.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

HRCM investigating leak of child molestation allegations against MP

President of Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) Maryam Azra has said that the commission has begun an internal investigation to find out the source of a story published in local newspaper Haveeru that the commission was investigating an MP regarding child molestation.

Minivan News understands that Haveeru removed the story from its website this afternoon.

When Minivan News queried Azra as whether the commission was investigating such a case, she replied “I do not know.”

”We are trying to find out who it was that has told Haveeru so,” she said.

Haveeru had quoted an official at HRCM as saying that a child molestation case related to a MP had been filed at commission, which was investigating alongside police.
The official declined to reveal the name of the MP, said Haveeru.

Spokesperson of HRCM Ahmed Rilwan told Minivan News that he would “have check whether such a case was reported to the commission.”

”The statement given to Haveeru by whomever was not an official statement,” he said.

A police spokesperson said police had no comment on the matter.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

Maldives’ first Islamic bank opens for business

The first Islamic bank in the Maldives opened today, promising Shariah-compliant banking services. President Mohamed Nasheed attended the opening ceremony this morning.

In an interview with Haveeru, CEO of Maldives Islamic Bank (MIB) Harith Harun said the bank entered the market with capital of Rf150 million (US$12 million), and would operate current, savings and term deposit accounts structured so as to avoid the payment of interest.

Harun told Haveeru the bank would also provide credit facilities to businesses and individuals under Murabahah (sale), Ijarah (lease) or Musharakah (equity participation), as well as trade finance, remittance and ancillary services.

Minimum initial deposit for a savings account would be Rf1000 or US$100, Harun said, Rf2500 or US$250 for a current account, and Rf5000 or US$500 for companies.

Harun told Haveeru that there was a strong demand for Islamic banking services in the Maldives. However he said the bank also faced issues with laws preventing foreign ownership of land, and would be unable to provide home-financing until the law was rectified. A 15 percent tax on the transfer of properly was also “disadvantageous”, he told Haveeru.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)

IFJ condemns police questioning of Haveeru journalists

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned Maldives police for summoning two journalists from the Haveeru newspaper for questioning after they wrote an article about an alleged Facebook blackmail ring thought to involve a number of high profile politicians.

Police have since denied allegations from some press and media organisations that the questioning was politically motivated, claiming they had sought to request assistance with the ongoing investigation into the reported crime.

However, the IFJ has said it was critical of the manner that police sought to question two journalists over their story.

”Ahmed Hamdhoon and Ismail Naseer, who researched and wrote the story in the Dhivehi-language edition of Haveeru, were summoned by police in the capital Male’ and asked about the sources they had used to detail the content of the allegedly pornographic videos,” said the IFJ in a statement. ”The story published on 22 February had reported that the pornographic material was being circulated in a blackmail operation that had entrapped several well-known figures.”

“We are encouraged to learn that the two journalists turned down the police demand to name sources,” the IFJ website quoted is Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park as saying. ”The Republic of the Maldives sent out a strong positive signal by including the protection of media sources in its basic law and it is important to see that this significant legal provision is strengthened, not weakened, in practice.”

“Anonymity of sources is a necessary protection for journalists seeking to bring evidence of wrongdoing into the public domain. It is well understood that anonymity cannot be used as a cover for putting out wrong or malicious information, or for the protection of anybody involved in any felony,” added Park.

On 22 February, Police announced that they had arrested 14 persons including a minor for alleged involvement in blackmailing people after acquiring nude pictures and videos of them through Facebook.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam told Minivan News this week that in light of the ongoing serious cyber crimes investigation into the Facebook case, attempts were made to to obtain further information from the sources used in Haveeru’s article.

“For that we needed more cooperation from Haveeru so we sought a court order to go ahead with this,” he said.

The conduct of police in requesting information about the sources used in the Haveeru article has been criticised by both the paper’s own editor and the Maldives Journalist Association (MJA) – an affiliate of the IFJ.

Likes(0)Dislikes(0)