maldives news – Page 169 – Minivan News

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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Participation in Silk Road initiative would threaten Indian Ocean security, contends Nasheed

The Maldives’ participation in the Chinese ’21st Century Maritime Silk Road’ initiative would threaten regional security in the Indian Ocean, contends former President Mohamed Nasheed.

Speaking at a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) rally last night, the opposition leader said President Abdulla Yameen was heading towards disrupting regional security with his willingness to participate in the silk route initiative, which passes through the Maldives.

“There’s no need for a route of a particular people here. This country belongs to Maldivians,” he said, noting that traders from many countries have visited the Maldives for thousands of years.

The Maldives throughout its long history has served the Indian Ocean and people from various countries, including China, Nasheed continued, who were welcome to visit and dock their vessels in the country.

The Maldives should not participate in an initiative to facilitate trade and growth of a specific nation, he said.

According to China’s Xinhua News Agency, the Maritime Silk Road – linking China to the east coast of Africa and the Mediterranean – and a separate overland Silk Road will bring “new opportunities and a new future to China and every country along the road that is seeking to develop.”

“The Maldives welcomes and supports the proposal put forward by China to build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and is prepared to actively participate in relevant cooperation,” read a joint communique issued during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent state visit.

President Yameen also told the press that the Maldives was “honoured to now feature among China’s partners in building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road – a unique vision of President Xi, which will bring Asian neighbours closer together.”

China’s rising economic presence in the Indian Ocean region has stoked concerns in New Delhi that China is creating a “string of pearls” that surrounds India and threatens its security, including Chinese investments in ports and other key projects in Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Asked if closer ties with China would adversely impact relations with India or Japan, President Yameen told reporters upon returning from a visit to China in August that Sino-Maldives economic cooperation would not affect “the very friendly, close relations with India”.

“All these projects are also open to India and we are doing a lot of diplomatic work with India,” he said, referring to his administration’s decision not to sign a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States as an example of cooperation.

Nasheed went on to say that the Maldives should ensure its independence as well as the regional security of the Indian Ocean, which was a longstanding duty of Maldivian leaders.

“For hundreds of years, leader after leader has upheld the interest of the Maldives along with the security of the Indian Ocean,” he said.

President Yameen’s willingness to participate in the initiative would mark a shift in non-aligned foreign policy, he added, calling on the president to reconsider the decision.

A “responsible Maldivian leader” would not jeopardise the country’s security by risking being caught in the middle of war or disputes between great powers, Nasheed said.

Maldivian foreign policy should not seek to benefit from strife and discord, he added.

“In my view, we should not under any circumstances base our foreign policy on playing or turning one nation against another,” he said.

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Supreme Court case against HRCM undermining commission’s mandate, says MDP

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has voiced concern over the Supreme Court suo moto case against members of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) regarding a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council last week.

In a press statement released today, the opposition party said that the members of the commission were summoned to the Supreme Court because of their criticism of the judiciary the submission to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

“The party believes that by initiating a suo moto, the Supreme Court is undermining the responsibilities vested by the Maldivian Constitution and international conventions on the independent commission,” read the MDP’s press statement.

Speaking to Minivan News today, parliamentary leader of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), Ahmed Nihan, said that it is not the place of any member of the government or an independent body to criticise the Supreme Court.

Nihan noted that the commission was fulfilling its mandate by publishing the report but also said the Supreme Court was carrying out its own duties by upholding the constitution.

Members of the commission were summoned one by one to the Supreme Court yesterday (September 22) and informed of the suo moto initiated by the Supreme Court.

The HRCM report criticised the growing power of the court, suggesting that control of the judiciary by the Supreme Court was damaging the lower courts.

HRCM members said yesterday that they were faced with numerous charges although they had been advised by their lawyer not to give further details. The members are scheduled to be present at a hearing tomorrow morning (September 24).

Article 27 of the HRCM act grants immunity from prosecution in relation to acts carried out as part of the commission’s duty unless a formal inquiry proves that some components in the report are proven to be false.

Earlier this year, Supreme Court used the unprecedented suo moto proceeding, in which the court acts as its own plaintiff and judge, in the removal of Elections Commission (EC) President Fuwad Thowfeek and Vice President Ahmed Fayaz.

Both were charged with contempt of court and disobedience to order as a result of testimony given to the People’s Majlis’ independent commission’s oversight committee

Through a raft of regulations enacted in recent months, the Maldives Supreme Court has sought to consolidate control over administrative affairs of the judiciary.

Changes to contempt of court regulations made in June authorised courts to initiate legal proceedings and punish individuals for any expression, action, gesture, or piece of writing “inside or outside a courtroom” that could be considered contempt of court.

The court has come under criticism both home and abroad in recent months, with a sex-tape scandal and perceived interference in the 2013 presidential elections among the issues causing controversy.

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Marine festival held in Mathiveri

A marine festival titled ‘Moodhu Maa-Kan’du Fest 2014’ took place on the island of Mathiveri in Alif Alif atoll on Saturday (September 20).

According to a press release from the US embassy, the one-day festival was organised by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture as well as the North Ari Atoll Council and “provided local residents with an opportunity to voice their concerns regarding environmental issues in their communities.”

US Ambassador to Maldives Michele J. Sison, State Minister for Environment and Energy Mohammed Ibrahim and State Minister for Fisheries and Agriculture Zaha Waheed, State Minister for Fisheries and Agriculture attended the festival, which was held to raise awareness about climate change challenges and provide hands-on training to learn about protecting marine life.

“You are all aware of the overwhelming urgency to address climate change adaptation in Maldives,” Ambassador Sison was quoted as saying in the press release.

“That is why it is crucial for all the people of Maldives to participate when deciding how to protect your natural resources.”

The press statement explained that the festival was part of REGENERATE (Reefs Generate Environmental and Economic Resiliency for Atoll Ecosystems), a programme funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to “better protect and manage marine systems, especially the coral reef life affected by climate change and human activities.”

“Maldives attaches great importance to the protection and preservation of coral reefs. We continue to collaborate with partners, both local and international,” said Mohamed Ibrahim.

“However, we hold to creed that community participation and ownership is the key to the success of these efforts.”

The festival included activities such as “snorkeling and swimming lessons, a beach clean-up competition, an invention competition using recyclables, and even instructor-guided scuba diving lessons.”

“The Maldives territory is over 99 percent water and the archipelago’s well-being depends directly on healthy marine and coastal environments,” said Dr Ameer Abdulla, REGENERATE Program Manager and Senior Advisor to the IUCN Global Marine Program.

“This festival is a first step in motivating and forming the next generation of Maldivian marine scientists and managers.”

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Project to build multi-speciality hospital awarded to Treetop Investments

A project to build a multi-speciality hospital in Hulhumalé has been awarded to Treetop Investments Pvt Ltd by the Ministry of Health, reports CNM.

According to the online news outlet, local companies Champa Brothers, Kasa Holdings, Crown Company, and Kurehdhoo Holdings all have a stake in Treetop Investments.

The project was awarded to Treetop after initial expressions of interest (EOIs) submitted to the ministry were cancelled.

Health Ministry Director General Dr Sheeza Ali said efforts to formulate the contract and design were currently ongoing, adding that the project would be divided into two phases.

While 10 companies – including a Malaysian company, German company, two Indian companies, and five Maldivian companies – had submitted EOIs, the economic council decided not to allow the companies to submit detailed proposals.

The purpose of the 337-bed hospital is to ease the burden on the government-operated Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in the capital, the health ministry has previously said, and would function as an extension of IGMH.

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MDN investigation implicates radicalised gangs in Rilwan’s disappearance

A private investigation commissioned by Maldives Democracy Network has implicated gangs – possibly motivated by religious extremism – in the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan 45 days ago.

Discounting theories of voluntary disappearance and suicide, the investigation – conducted by Glasgow-based Athena Intelligence and Security – concludes the disappearance is likely to have been an abduction.

The report 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.

Rilwan was previously an openly conservative Islamist and a well-regarded member of a group known as ‘Dot,’ but is now a known advocate of religious tolerance and an open critic of government policy and radical Islam, the report stated.

In July, Rilwan told his friends he was being followed regularly by “people who looked like Islamists,” and “regularly received clear threats to his life” for his online activity.

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

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

Government ministers are said to pay gangs to intimidate dissidents, the report said, though it discounted allegations that Rilwan may have been targeted due to his alleged investigation into a corruption case involving Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb.

The report called on the police to further investigate the activities of extremist groups, gangs, and politicians in Rilwan’s disappearance.

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

Islamist threats

According to the report, an online Jihadi group called Bilad Al- Sham made a clear and unambiguous threat to Rilwan’s life shortly before his disappearance in which they stated “his days were short.”

The group’s founder Yameen Naeem has reportedly been killed while fighting in the Syrian civil war this month.

In the week prior to Rilwan’s disappearance, the group on its Facebook site said they “had taken a break during Ramadan” but has returned to their campaign against those perceived as mocking Islam.

A friend of Rilwan’s told the investigators he had received information on August 4 that the ‘Dot’ group was targeting individuals advocating against religious extremists, and had a list of 400 people who “need to go”.

According to Rilwan’s friend interviewed as part of Athena’s investigation, Bilad Al- Sham “have the resources, funding, boats and the ability and intent to abduct people … even from their homes,” said the report.

Surveillance

CCTV footage shows evidence that two Kuda Henveiru gang members undertook “possible hostile surveillance” of Rilwan at the Malé – Hulhumalé ferry terminal.

The first suspect, Shiran, arrived at the ferry terminal minutes before Rilwan’s arrival and proceeded to look around inside the waiting area. He then headed back outside.

Meanwhile, a second unnamed suspect was waiting outside on Shiran’s red motorbike. However the two “deliberately disassociate from each other whilst at the terminal and do not demonstrate that they have an existing relationship,” the report said.

Cell phone data from Shiran’s phone shows a flurry a SMS activity between his phone and a second handset, registered to a man called Ahmed Husham.

“It is entirely possible that their task was to provide advance notification of Rilwan’s arrival at the terminal and confirmation of his boarding the ferry. It is possible that the flurry of communication was an effort to coordinate activity with any reception team in Hulhumalé.”

Police have since withheld Shiran’s passport, the report said.

Abduction

The investigation noted Rilwan would have arrived in Hulhumalé at 1:30am and suggested he did not board the local bus, but travelled on foot to his apartment.

At around 2am, witnesses living near Rilwan’s apartment building reported seeing two unidentified males struggling with each other and one male being forced into a red car, the report said

The witnesses were unable to identify either of the men, as it was fully dark. As both males entered the car, it sped off immediately, indicating at least a further suspect as a driver.

A bayonet knife was recovered at the scene, but police claimed it contains no evidence, suggesting the knife’s presence was circumstantial and probably on the ground before the abduction, the report said

There are two red cars in Hulhumalé, one owned by Ibrahim Firaq – a member of the Jumhooree Party, and another owned by Arliph Rauf – a member of a notorious crime family suspected of involvement in the 2012 murder of MP Afrasheem Ali.

Police are investigating Rauf’s car for having been illegally imported to Hulhumalé on August 4, and returned to Malé sometime between 13 – 15 August. Police sources say Rauf had sold the car, the report said.

Living on Hulhumalé and having a relatively predictable routine would have made Rilwan an easy target, the report noted.

Radicalisation of gangs

The report suggested gang leaders had been exposed to radical Islam during incarceration in prison, saying that they openly supported the actions of the Islamic State in Iraq and recruited Jihadists for the war in Syria and Iraq.

Gang members have reportedly been involved in a series of violent attacks against those preaching religious tolerance, and justify their attacks by labeling such individuals as un-Islamic.

Gang members “see themselves as the self-appointed guardians of religious morality and take responsibility for the education and guidance of those who openly undermine Islamic principles and teachings.”

They had abducted a number of individuals in connection to a Facebook group called Colorless in June and questioned them on their beliefs. One of the abductees is now in self imposed exile, the report said.

Suicide

Rilwan was taking medication for clinical depression and gastritis, but “there is no indication that he had suicidal thoughts or that he had previously committed self-harm.”

On the evening prior to his disappearance, he spent time with his sister and his friends in Malé, where he was playing a GPS based located game called Ingress and watched a Baibala tournament (Maldivian rugby).

No body or suicide note has been found. Furthermore, none of the people who saw him last reported a change in normal demeanor or felt in any way that he was in some way saying farewell or putting his affairs in order which might indicate an intent to commit suicide.

Voluntary disappearance

Rilwan had voiced a wish to “drop out” and visit islands where he could study cultural poetry, the report noted. But there is no record of him departing the Maldives despite his passport not being found during a search of his apartment.

No clothes or personal effects were removed from his apartment that might indicate relocation, the report said. Further, Rilwan has to date failed to cash a paycheck he received hours before his disappearance.

“The lack of data activity and that he had not cashed his cheque or prepared funds, and that he did not take personal effects from his apartment, or if he travelled, he did so during silent hours, indicate that it is extremely unlikely that he willingly disappeared himself.”

The report stated that it was not uncommon for Rilwan to “go offline” for days at a time and family members and colleagues did not consider it unusual when he failed to show up for a few days.

“It was only five days after the abduction before he was missed enough and attempts to contact him had failed to sufficiently raise the alarm,” the report stated.

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Supreme Court initiates suo moto proceedings against Human Rights Commission

The Supreme Court has initiated suo moto proceedings again the Human Rights Commission of Maldives in relation to a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) last week.

All five commission members were called to the court this afternoon before being handed a summons for a hearing on Wednesday (September 24).

HRCM members have told Minivan News today that they face numerous charges, though lawyers have advised them not to give further details at this point.

The commission’s report – submitted as part of the UN Universal Periodic Review – criticised the court’s growing powers, suggesting that control of the judiciary by the Supreme Court was damaging the lower courts.

“[D]ue to shortfalls in judicial system, functioning of the judiciary is often questionable on various grounds including independence, transparency, interference, influence, competency, consistency, and accessibility,” read the report.

The Supreme Court’s use of suo moto proceedings – which allow the court to initiate hearings and act as both plaintiff and judge – mirrors proceedings use against the Elections Commission (EC) earlier this year.

EC President Fuwad Thowfeek and Vice President Ahmed Fayaz were charged with contempt of court and disobedience to order as a result of testimony given in the People’s Majlis independent commissions oversight committee.

The unprecedented suo moto procedures were used to remove both Thowfeek and Fayaz from their posts just weeks before the Majlis elections in March, with both given 6 month suspended sentences.

Subsequent changes to contempt of court regulations made in June authorised courts to initiate legal proceedings and punish individuals for any expression, action, gesture, or piece of writing “inside or outside a courtroom” that could be considered contempt of court.

United Nations

The 2006 Human Right Commission Act lists the promotion and protection of human rights in accordance with international conventions along with the assistance and support of relevant NGOs as basic objectives of the commission.

Additionally, Article 27 of the HRCM Act grant members immunity from prosecution in relation to acts carried out as part of the commission’s duties.

Article 27 (b) meanwhile says that a case can only be filed against the commission regarding published reports following an inquiry which proves components of the report to have been false.

UN bodies have been amongst those most critical of the Maldivian justice system in recent months, with a report into the judiciary by a UN Special Rapporteur last year making particular note of the centralised administration and the failure to address human rights violations.

The report was subsequently described by the Maldives representative to the UNHRC as undermining the sovereignty of the country.

Criticism of the Supreme Court’s role in the electoral process by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay last October was subsequently described as “ill-informed” and “irresponsible” by former President Dr Mohamed Waheed.

Waheed is amongst the delegates representing the Maldives at the 69th session of the UN General Assembly, along with Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon.

Earlier this week, on the occasion of the Maldives’ 49th year of UN membership, Dunya praised the organisation as “the only forum where every nation in the world, big or small, has an equal say”.

The UNHCR’s periodic review studies the human rights records of all 193 UN member states, aiming to prompt, support, and expand the protection of human rights. After having been reviewed first in 2010, the Maldives will again undergo inspection in 2015.

Speaking to Minivan News last week after receiving her summons for today’s hearing, HRCM member Jeehan Mahmood defended the UPR report.

“It’s the one chance we get to bring the world’s attention to issues that the state chooses to ignore on domestic forums”.

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HRCM responds to criticism from the education ministry over UN submission

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has responded to criticism from the Ministry of Education regarding the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council.

In a press statement released yesterday (September 21), HRCM denied the accusations made by the Education Ministry that the section on education had been based on an outdated 2008 UNESCO report, saying it had used a joint unpublished report by UNICEF and the Ministry of Gender and Family from 2009.

The Supreme Court has today initiated suo moto proceedings against HRCM members in relation to the document, while the President’s Office has this week suggested that some phrasing regarding the death penalty is misleading.

The HRCM said that the education ministry had been given the opportunity to comment on the draft of the UPR report but failed to make any recommendations.

“A draft of the report was sent to the high ranking officials of the education ministry on August 31 to comment on it. However, we did not receive any inquiries from the ministry on the validity of the data in the report nor did we receive any criticism of the report,” said HRCM.

The ministry has claimed, however, that the commission had chosen not to include information it sent in the report.

The UPR report states that, even though “corporal punishment is prohibited in schools, 8 percent of the students attending secondary schools have experienced violence perpetrated by teachers”.

The Ministry of Education argued that the statement was outdated and that no study had been done during the last six years to identify the changes in the education system.

In yesterday’s statement, the HRCM countered the argument by saying that the UPR is intended to evaluate the situation over the last four years and said that there are numerous studies which would validate the statement including the conclusions sent by international conventions.

The dispute over the report’s content comes at a time of an ongoing investigation by the education ministry and the Maldives Police Service into an alleged bullying case by a teacher at Imaaduhdheen School.

In the report, the HRCM also urged the government to pass the Education Act and to make concrete efforts to eradicate the disparities in the availability of educational services.

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