Tag: home minister

Home minister vows to keep ex president in jail

Home minister Umar Naseer has vowed to keep ex-president Mohamed Nasheed in prison despite growing calls for his release by the international community.

“We will not free Nasheed. This government will not free him. I repeat it,” Naseer said in an interview on pro-government private broadcaster Dhi-TV on Thursday.

Nasheed is serving a 13-year jail term on terrorism charges relating to the arrest of a judge during his tenure. Foreign governments, international bodies including the UN and Amnesty International have criticized the trial for lack of due process.

The EU parliament in April passed a resolution calling for Nasheed’s immediate release and have urged member states to warn tourists on Maldives’ human rights record on their travel websites.

However, Naseer said the government “will not back down an inch” even if the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is backed by 50 foreign governments. He went on to describe the MDP as a “lie factory.”

“There is no way will we hand the country to MDP. We will not back down an inch even if they come with 50 countries behind them,” he said.

“The government is built upon a very strong foundation. There is no way we will budge.”

Naseer said the MDP had planned to torch several buildings during a mass antigovernment protest on May Day. Nearly 200 people, including opposition leaders, were arrested when violent clashes erupted between the police and protesters.

Approximately 20,000 people had taken to the streets on May 1 over Nasheed and ex-defence minister Mohamed Nazim’s imprisonment.

Although the opposition has criticized the police for excessive force and brutality during the protest, Naseer congratulated the police force, saying they are the “most professional” force in the region.

He said the police had ten years of experience in controlling protests and condemned protesters for beating two police officers.

“MDP can only deceive others [the international community], not Maldivians,” he said.

The home minister once again denied allegations he had made of president Abdulla Yameen’s involvement in the brutal murder of MP Dr Afrasheem Ali in 2012.

Naseer had contested against Yameen during the Progressive Party of the Maldives’ (PPM) presidential primaries of 2013. When he lost, he held a public rally accusing Yameen of corruption, vote-rigging, illicit connections with criminal gangs, and said he saw a suspect in Afrasheem’s murder meeting with Yameen.

Naseer was expelled from the PPM when he refused to apologize for his remarks. He joined the Jumhooree Party (JP), and was given a cabinet portfolio after Yameen won the second round of polls with JP’s backing. The party left the ruling coalition in January.

“I said I saw a suspect in Afrasheem’s murder, after he was released, at the PPM office seeking a meeting with president Yameen. I did not say there is any connection between president Yameen and Afrasheem’s murder,” he said.

Naseer on Thursday said he had made the comments because of the “rivalry in the campaign,” and said the investigation does not suggest the president was involved in the murder at all.

In recent months, several defectors from the ruling coalition, including MP Ahmed Mahloof, have claimed president Yameen will know the truth behind Afrasheem’s murder.

In December 2012, then-police chief Abdulla Riyaz had said that Dr Afrasheem’s murder was politically motivated with a local gang offered MVR4 million (US$260,000) to carry it out.

The late moderate religious scholar and Progressive Party of Maldives MP was brutally stabbed to death on October 1, 2013 in a murder that shocked the nation.

Riyaz, now a JP MP, was summoned to the police last week when he said he would reveal details of Afrasheem’s murder “when the time comes” in an interview with a local TV station.

Hussain Humam, the chief suspect in the murder and the only person convicted of the crime so far, has alleged president Yameen and tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb’s involvement in the killing.

However, Adeeb accused the opposition of orchestrating Humam’s remarks in a “character assassination” attempt. Humam had said at the first hearing of his appeal at the High Court last month that president Yameen and Adeeb “will know best” the details of the murder.

Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom meanwhile told reporters that president Yameen should sue opposition politicians alleging his involvement in the murder for defamation and strongly condemned the insinuations.

 

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After incendiary sermon, thousands pray for Nasheed and Nazim’s freedom

Following an incendiary Friday sermon warning unjust judges of hellfire, thousands gathered outside the Islamic Center in Malé at noon and prayed for former President Mohamed Nasheed and former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim’s freedom.

Dozens of police officers attempted to disperse the congregation before the prayer began, but later watched on until the prayer was completed. The police then cordoned off the area.

The sermon, issued by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, quoted several verses from the Qur’an and hadiths from the Prophet Mohamed’s Sunnah on the importance of delivering just verdicts and the wickedness of false testimony.

The unusually incendiary sermon comes in the wake of an 11-year jail term for Nazim on charges of smuggling weapons, and a 13-year jail term for Nasheed on charges of terrorism over the military detention of a Criminal Court judge.

The opposition has claimed the trials were unjust and marred with irregularities including the Criminal Court’s refusal to call defence witnesses and to allow adequate time and facilities to mount a defence.

Nazim maintains he was framed by rogue police officers on the orders of Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb, a claim the police and Adeeb have denied. Defence lawyers said prosecution’s witnesses had lied in court, and said the judges had violated the ex-defence minister’s right to defence.

Reading out the prepared sermon, Imams across the country said upholding justice was necessary for progress and the establishment of peace and order. Islamic Empires had progressed because they were founded on justice, they said.

Quoting from Surat al-Nisa, the sermon said: “Allah commands that you should render back the trusts to those to whom they are due; and that when you judge between men, you judge with justice.”

The sermon also urged judges to be fair, consider both sides of the argument and evidence in delivering a verdict. Providing false testimony is among the greatest of sins, it added.

Quoting from Prophet Mohamed’s Sunnah, the sermon said: “Judges are of three types, one of whom will go to Paradise, and two to Hell. The one who will go to Paradise is a man who knows what is right and gives judgment accordingly; but a man who knows what is right and acts tyrannically in his judgment will go to Hell; and a man who gives judgment for people when he is ignorant will go to Hell.”

Religious conservative Adhaalath Party’s scholars control the Islamic Affairs Ministry. The party recently withdrew support for President Yameen’s administration, and joined Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) under the banner “Alliance Against Brutality.”

The alliance has been organising daily protests in Malé.

After the sermon ended, the congregation of men and boys gathered outside the Islamic Center, adjacent to the military barracks and offered a prayer for Nazim and Nasheed: “Our beloved leader, a man loved by a majority of us, Mohamed Nasheed, has been unjustly sentenced and imprisoned. He has suffered and continues to suffer brutality. O Allah! Save Mohamed Nasheed from jail and keep him safe. Bless us in our work to establish peace and security in our country, and make us victorious.”

“Colonel Mohamed Nazim, a man who has dedicated his life to serving our people, has been falsely accused and unjustly imprisoned. Protect Mohamed Nazim and all Maldivians who suffer injustice.”

Opposition supporters last week also offered a similar prayer at the Islamic Center, prompting Home Minister Umar Naseer to call for police action against using mosques and surrounding areas to “make political statements.”

Dozens of opposition supporters on Baa Atoll Thulhadhoo Island also prayed for Nazim and Nasheed yesterday.

The alliance meanwhile held a march attended by hundreds in the afternoon and a rice pudding banquet at Raalhugandu area at night in Malé. There were protest marches on Thulhadhoo and Gaaf Alif Atoll Kolamafushi as well.

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Home Minister Umar Naseer elected as LGA President

Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer has been elected as the Local Government Authority (LGA) president.

Media reports say that Naseer – who is the cabinet representative in the authority – was elected to the post unanimously by the seven members present at today’s LGA board meeting.

The post was previously filled by the former Defense Minister Colonel (retired) Mohamed Nazim, who has now been dismissed from his posts and is now under arrest, with the police accusing him of plotting a coup and trying to harm senior government officials.

Today’s meeting was the third LGA meeting so far this year.

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Home Minister returns to Malé, High Court rejects appeal to overturn arrest warrant

Home Minister Umar Naseer has returned to the Maldives from an official visit to the Netherlands, although police have made no move to arrest the minister as per a Criminal Court arrest warrant.

The warrant orders the Maldives Police Services to arrest and present the minister at the Criminal Court on Tuesday (June 17) to answer charges of disobedience to order. The case has been scheduled for 11am tomorrow.

Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Didi issued the warrant on Thursday while Naseer was away in the Netherlands to source sniffer dogs and body scanners.

Naseer’s lawyer Adam Asif appealed the warrant at the High Court, but the court rejected the appeal today claiming an arrest warrant cannot be appealed.

Article 56 of the constitution grants individuals the right to appeal convictions, sentences, judgments or orders by the courts, but arrest warrants do not fall under the category, said the High Court.

The police were not responding to calls at the time of press.

Naseer had failed to attend three consecutive hearings. Two of the hearings were scheduled during Naseer’s Netherlands visit from June 9 – 16.

The minister is accused of calling for 2,000 volunteers on January 23, 2012 to storm the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) headquarters with 50 ladders during the two weeks of protests sparked by the military’s controversial detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed.

If convicted, Naseer faces banishment, imprisonment or house arrest not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding MVR150 (US$ 10) under Article 88(a) of the penal code.

He denied charges during the first hearing into the case on April 27. At a second hearing on May 22, he asked the court to strike down the clause he is being prosecuted under.

The Prosecutor General’s Office is pressing disobedience to order charges under Article 88 of the Penal Code with reference to Article 8 (a) of the General Laws.

The General Laws was passed in 1968 and the clause in question prohibits writing or speech against any tenet of Islam.

Meanwhile, opposition Maldivian Democratic Party MP Eva Abdulla has tabled a motion at the People’s Majlis, to summon Naseer for questioning over comments he made in 2013 implicating President Abdulla Yameen in the death of MP Afrasheem Ali in 2012.

Naseer lost to Yameen in the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) primaries in April 2013. He held a rally in which he alleged widespread vote rigging and accused Yameen of illicit connections with gangs and the illegal drug trade.

Yameen met with an individual accused of Afrasheem’s murder at the PPM offices, Naseer said at the time.

He was later expelled from the PPM and joined the Jumhooree Party (JP), backing tourism tycoon Gasim Ibrahim for the presidency. The JP placed third in November’s presidential polls, before throwing its weight behind the PPM at the eleventh hour in exchange for a 35 percent stake in government.

Naseer was appointed home minister on a slot allocated for the JP although the coalition agreement was dissolved in May following a dispute over Gasim’s decision to stand for the Majlis speaker position.

Two of the four JP ministers have now joined the PPM and its ally the Maldives Development Alliance.

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Home Minister appeals arrest warrant

Home Minister Umar Naseer has appealed a Criminal Court arrest warrant at the High Court today.

The arrest warrant issued on Thursday orders the Maldives Police Services to arrest Naseer and present him at the Criminal Court at 11:00am on Tuesday (June 17), a High Court official said.

Naseer – currently in the Netherlands on an official visit – has failed to attend three consecutive hearings at the Criminal Court to answer charges of disobedience to order.

The Home Minister was abroad during all three hearings.

Home Ministry’s Media Coordinator Thazmeel Abdul Samad told Minivan News on Saturday that Naseer is not a fugitive from justice and will attend hearings willingly once he returns from the Netherlands on June 16.

The Maldives Police Services has acted differently in different arrest warrant cases.

The police arrested former President Mohamed Nasheed in 2012, and former MPs Abdulla Jabir and Hamid Abdul Ghafoor on the Criminal Court’s orders in 2013. But when the court ordered MP Ahmed ‘Sun Travel’ Shiyam be arrested in March, the police asked him to present himself at the police headquarters on the day in question and escorted him from the police station to the court.

The police have refused to comment on the arrest warrant.

Naseer was appointed as Home Minister on a cabinet slot allocated for the Jumhooree Party (JP) as part of the now defunct coalition agreement signed with the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM).

Two of the four ministers appointed on JP slots have switched to the PPM and its ally Maldivian Development Alliance (MDA) following the dissolution of the coalition.

Naseer joined the JP in 2013 after losing the PPM’s presidential primary to incumbent President Abdulla Yameen.

The PPM expelled Naseer from the party after he alleged the primaries were rigged and accused Yameen of illicit connections with gangs and the illegal drug trade and vowed to bring a “white revolution” within the party.

Speaking to Minivan News in January Naseer said his earlier comments were “political rhetoric.”

In March, Naseer announced he will run for the presidency in 2023 but pledged to back Yameen for re-election in 2018.

“I am not a political threat to President Yameen. I am ready to work to help President Yameen get re-elected to presidency in 2018. What I may have said before, and the competition that existed between us before is a completely different matter. That has come to an end,” he said in an interview on state broadcaster Television Maldives’ Friday variety show ‘Heyyambo.’

Naseer is accused of calling for 2,000 volunteers on January 23, 2012 to storm the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) headquarters with 50 ladders during the two weeks of protests sparked by the military’s controversial detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed.

On the night in question, Umar told anti-government demonstrators in front of the Maldives Monetary Authority building that they should use tactics to tire out the soldiers on duty before climbing into the military barracks, at which point “the people inside will be with us.”

“From today onward, we will turn this protest into one that achieves results,” Naseer had said.

“We know how people overthrow governments. Everything needed to topple the government of this country is now complete.”

After he was questioned by the police in September 2012, Naseer told the press that “there will be no evidence” to prove he committed a criminal offence.

“In my statement I did not mention where to place the ladders or where to climb in using the ladders,” Naseer had said.

If convicted, Naseer faces banishment, imprisonment or house arrest not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding MVR150 (US$ 10) under Article 88(a) of the penal code.

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Extradited drug kingpin Shafaz brought to Malé

Convicted drug kingpin Ibrahim Shafaz Abdul Razzak – caught in Sri Lanka’s capital city Colombo on Tuesday – has now been transferred to the Maldives’ capital city Malé.

After being sentenced to an 18 year jail term, Shafa was temporarily released in February for three months to seek medical treatment in Colombo.

After his failure to return during the allocated time period which ended on May 5, Shafaz was arrested in joint operation between Maldives and Sri Lankan security personnel.

Earlier in April, Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer pledged to extradite Maldivian offenders from whichever country they were in.

“No offender should delude themselves into thinking that they can flee from the Maldives and peacefully live elsewhere. That cannot be done.”

“The first topic of discussion that I take up with leaders, Home Ministers and police leaders of every country I travel to is that in the instance there is a runaway Maldivian offender in the country, they should arrest them immediately and turn them over to the Maldivian authorities,” he said at the time.

Shafaz currently remains under police custody, but will be transferred to the Maldives Correctional Services.

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Former home minister questions government’s sincerity regarding death penalty

Former Home Minister Hassan Afeef has questioned the government’s intention to carry out the death sentence under recently introduced regulations.

“I think they are just playing to the minds of the people because they say they want to protect the religion and protect the country as one of their campaign pledges,” he said.

Afeef – home minister between 2010 and 2012 – also questioned the ability of the current tainted judiciary to provide the certainty required for implementation of the death penalty under Islamic law.

“The judiciary might pass the sentence, there may be a verdict, but I don’t think the current regime will carry it out,” said Afeef.

“They know how politically influenced the judiciary is as the present government are the people who politically influence these judicial decisions – so they know why they make these decisions.”

Afeef’s comments follow further international headlines regarding the new regulations.

The AFP has described the recent murder conviction of a minor to be a “test case” for the new law, although the home minister had previously said that the rules will be applied retroactively to all pending death sentences.

In a statement released yesterday, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) joined the growing international criticism accusing the Maldives government of being out-of-step with its international commitments.

“The decision to reinstate the death penalty in the Maldives, in particular against minors, is an outrage and gravely at odds with the growing international momentum towards abolition,” said FIDH President Karim Lahidji.

Lack of capacity

Speaking with Minivan News today, Afeef said the government’s attempts to carry out death sentences in accordance with Islamic Shariah were not possible with the criminal justice system as it is.

Afeef argued that those found guilty of such crimes beyond any doubt should be punished according to Islamic law, but questioned the capacity of the police and the judiciary to provide this certainty.

“According to Islam, when you pass the death penalty it has to be proven beyond doubt that the person has committed that crime and, according to the present situation – the present judiciary and the autocratic regime – we may find a situation where the person sentenced may not be the actual culprit,” he said.

The impartiality of the police and the judiciary has continued to be questioned this month, with the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party describing failures investigate the multiple charges against Supreme Court Judge Ali Hameed as “awe-inspiring”.

The statement said the failure of the police and the Judicial Services Commission to conclude investigations or to prosecute Judge Hameed were a clear indication of the status of the Maldives’ criminal justice system.

“Such a judge sitting on the supreme court bench is not recognised by any judicial or legal system in the world. And surely it is the general public who are facing injustice because of this,” said the party.

Hameed – who stands accused of appearing in a sex-tape as well as corruption – adjudicated on both the annulment the first round of last year’s presidential elections as well as the dismissal of the elections commissioner prior to parliamentary elections in March.

Both incidents were denounced by the international community, which has consistently called for judicial reform. Current Attorney General Mohamed Anil has pledged review and reform of the courts as part of the government’s legislative agenda.

Dheen and Qawm

Home Minister Umar Naseer’s January announcement that the government was making preparations to end the country’s 60-year moratorium on the death penalty culminated in the publication of new procedural regulations last month.

Following the gazetting of the new guidelines, Naseer said the chances of killing an innocent person after completing all the procedures in the regulation were “far-fetched” and “almost impossible”.

The regulation – which only allows implementation of death penalty when the sentence is delivered by the Supreme Court – will establish a death penalty committee to assure all procedures have been adhered to.

Mediation between the Islamic Ministry and the victim’s family is also mandated, with family members who are ‘warith’ (heirs in Shariah law) given an opportunity to pardon the convict with or without receiving blood money.

After having previously been opposed to the practice, President Abdulla Yameen announced a “change of heart” just weeks after winning his party’s presidential primary race last year.

Suggesting that “murder has to be punished with murder” in order to “save society”, Yameen embarked on a campaign of ‘dheen and qawm’ – religion and country – winning a drawn-out election in the second round last November.

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Home Minister Umar Naseer pleads not guilty to charges at Criminal Court

Home Minister Umar Naseer denied charges of ‘disobedience to an order’ at the first hearing of his trial at the Criminal Court today.

Judge Abdulla Didi told Naseer’s lawyer to respond to the charges at the next trial date, according to local media.

Naseer is accused of calling for 2,000 volunteers on January 23, 2012 to storm the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) headquarters with 50 ladders during the two weeks of protests sparked by the military’s controversial detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed.

On the night in question, Umar told anti-government demonstrators in front of the Maldives Monetary Authority building that they should use tactics to tire out the soldiers on duty before climbing into the military barracks, at which point “the people inside will be with us.”

“From today onward, we will turn this protest into one that achieves results,” Naseer had said.

“We know how people overthrow governments. Everything needed to topple the government of this country is now complete.”

After he was questioned by the police in September 2012, Naseer told the press that “there will be no evidence” to prove he committed a criminal offence.

“In my statement I did not mention where to place the ladders or where to climb in using the ladders.” Naseer had said.

If convicted, Naseer faces banishment, imprisonment or house arrest not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding MVR150 (US$ 10) under article 88(a) of the penal code.

The case against Naseer was submitted to the Criminal Court by the Prosecutor General’s office in December 2012 after police concluded their investigation.

The 22 consecutive nights of protests by the then-opposition in January 2012 culminated in the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed on February 7 in the wake of a violent mutiny by riot police officers.

Speaking at a Progressive Party of Maldives rally days after the controversial transfer of presidential power, Naseer claimed he had warned the president’s closest aides that Nasheed could “lose his life” if he did not comply with the ultimatum to resign.

Naseer said he told the president that he could “either surrender with bloodshed or surrender peacefully”.

Naseer also told Australia’s SBS Dateline programme that he was organising the protests from a “command centre” and that he feared for Nasheed’s life.

In January 2013, Naseer said the ousting of the Maldivian Democratic Party government was the result of “planning, propaganda and a lot of work.”

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Home Minister Umar Naseer to run for presidency in 2023

Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer has announced he will run for the presidency in 2023 and has pledged to back President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom for re-election in 2018.

“I am not a political threat to President Yameen. I am ready to work to help President Yameen get re-elected to presidency in 2018. What I may have said before, and the competition that existed between us before is a completely different matter. That has come to an end,” he said in an interview on state broadcaster Television Maldives’ Friday variety show ‘Heyyambo.’

Naseer lost to Yameen in the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) presidential primaries in 2013 and alleged the primaries were rigged. He accused Yameen of illicit connections with gangs and the illegal drug trade and vowed to bring a “white revolution” within the party.

The PPM expelled Naseer from the party and he backed Jumhooree Party (JP) Leader Gasim Ibrahim in the 2013 presidential elections. Naseer was appointed to the cabinet when Gasim’s backing proved crucial in PPM’s second round win.

Speaking on Heyyambo, Naseer said Yameen will “have no reason to contest again” by 2023 and said he himself will run for the presidency then. The Maldives constitution limits presidential terms to two five year terms.

Naseer ran for the presidency in 2008 and won 2,472 votes.

Coalition friction

Naseer expressed confidence that he will be able to sort out any differences within the government coalition, pointing to his prior experience working with Yameen and Gasim.

Friction within the coalition became apparent with Gasim warning the PPM against betrayal in a rally on April 13.

But Naseer asserted that Yameen and Gasim are working together in the national interest.

He also dismissed competitive words exchanged between the two coalition partners in the lead up to the 2013 presidential elections as “an attempt to choose the best leader from among those sharing the same ideology”, and said personal ambition has now “taken a backseat and national interest is what drives [us] today”.

“Although we walked over each other in the race to select a leader amongst those of us who holds the same ideology, once we have come out to the actual national race we have removed our personal jerseys and donned the national jersey. Today we are playing in the national uniform,” he said.

Extradite offenders

Naseer said he will amend laws which require police to present detainees to the Criminal Court with 24 hours of arrest and spoke of plans to extradite Maldivian offenders.

Maldivian offenders will not be able “to hide in any corner of the world,” Naseer said.

“No offender should delude themselves into thinking that they can flee from the Maldives and peacefully live elsewhere. That cannot be done. The first topic of discussion that I take up with leaders, Home Ministers and police leaders of every country I travel to is that in the instance there is a runaway Maldivian offender in the country, they should arrest them immediately and turn them over to the Maldivian authorities.”

He also spoke about a recent police raid where 79 youth were arrested from the island of Anbaraa during a musical festival, where all detained were reported to have tested positive for illicit drugs.

It is permissible for Maldivians to go on picnics, play loud music and have fun, Naseer said.

“But, there cannot be the abuse of drugs or consumption of alcohol. There cannot be DJs. If these kinds of things are being done, the police will go in and stop the activities. What I am saying is, you can party, but you cannot ‘Ambaraa'”.

Referring to the controversial order he had made unto the Maldives Correctional Services to implement death penalty, Naseer asserted that he had done so only on prior discussions with the President.

The Attorney General is currently drafting regulations for implementation of the death penalty on the cabinet’s request, he said. The government would only implement the death penalty if the Supreme Court upholds the sentence, he reiterated.

Speaking on the illegal drug trade, Naseer alleged that “powerful gangs from neighbouring countries” are involved in smuggling drugs into the Maldives.

Naseer identified population dispersion as the biggest obstacle for development and called for population consolidation.

“If the desired development is to be brought about, the approximately 400,000 inhabitants of this country will have to start living on three or five islands. We cannot bring the development otherwise,” he said.

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