The Health Ministry has announced it will employ 47 midwives as part of a plan to improve maternal and child health services in the islands.
The Health Ministry said 90 applicants, including individuals aged between 55 and 65 years of age, have applied for the positions. All applicants are required to have completed a certificate course in midwifery.
The government says it plans to have at least one midwife on every island.
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(0)The government has proposed amendments to four key laws, claiming articles in the acts contravened provisions in the current constitution.
The amendments submitted to the People’s Majlis includes the Anti- Corruption Act, the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives Act, the Police Act, and the Audit Act. The government did not reveal details of the amendments.
The government has previously submitted amendments to the Immigration Act, and the Protection of Child Rights Act on Tuesday.
These laws were enacted under the old constitution and are to be amended to ensure rights guaranteed in the constitution are enshrined in old laws.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Prosecutor General’s Office has appealed a Criminal Court decision to release an alleged black magic practitioner from pre-trial detention.
The black magic practitioner, locally known as Fandithaveriya, was caught nude with a man and a woman in a shop called Dhanaal in Malé City on December 29.
According to news agency Haveeru, the man and woman were having sex on the instructions of the Fandithaveriya when they were arrested.
An appeal hearing was held on Wednesday. The case is ongoing at the High Court.
(0)Dislikes(0)Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has pledged to spend MVR10 million on mosque repair in the Maldives for the Islamic month of Ramadan.
Speaking to news agency Haveeru, Shaheem said the ministry had handed over MVR800,000 to the Malé City Council to repair 22 mosques in the capital.
The announcement comes after the council had expressed concern over the ministry’s failure to release funds.
“So far, we have released funds for 100 mosques. In the past two weeks, we have spent approximately MVR4 million for mosque repair,” Shaheem said.
Funds will be spent to replace fans, repair sound systems, and renovate toilets and minarets, he said.
Shaheem also noted difficulties in repairing the domed roof of the Hulhumalé mosque. The Qatar government has pledged US$100,000 for the job and released US$50,000 so far, he said.
The Islamic minister also expressed concern over the delays in construction of Furugaan Mosque on Ameenee Magu in Malé. He said eight years has passed since construction began, but expressed confidence the mosque would be opened for Ramadan.
(0)Dislikes(0)The President’s Office has re-opened a call for applicants for the position of Information Commission and opened a call for applicants for membership of the Police Integrity Commission (PIC).
The President’s Office said it had re-opened the call for Information Commissioner because only one applicant had answered the first call for applications in May.
The Information Commissioner position is a newly created independent office established by the landmark Right to Information Act.
The Act mandates President Abdulla Yameen to submit nominations for the post within 15 days of the Act coming into force on July 12. The People’s Majlis has to approve a nominee within 30 days of submission.
The call for applications will expire on June 22.
The PIC vacancy was caused by PIC member Dr Hala Hameed’s resignation earlier this year. Hala was appointed as State Minister for Health and Gender.
The call for applicants or PIC membership will expire on June 30.
Both applications are available on the President’s Office website.
(0)Dislikes(0)In July 2009, blogger Hilath Rasheed broke news of an underage girl being kept as a concubine on his blog. Soon afterwards, he started receiving death threats online.
He was accused of being an infidel and anonymous commenters sent him messages warning him against walking in dark alleyways. They threatened to slash his throat and behead him.
Two years later, in June 2012, three men ambushed Hilath in a dark alleyway leading up to his apartment block, slashed his throat and left him for dead.
Recalling the events today, Hilath told Minivan News he had not taken cyber death threats seriously before the fatal attack. He had also suffered an assault in December 2011.
“I was naïve and uninformed that some Maldivian youngsters in gangs could be brainwashed to the extent of decapitating a fellow human in the name of Islam,” he said.
Doctors called Hilath’s recovery a miracle.
Death threats have become a norm in Maldivian cyberspace. Politicians, journalists, bloggers and social media users have reported receiving cyber death threats for a range of reasons, from their support of a particular political party to their advocacy of freedom of religion.
Minivan News has also learned death threats were issued in at least one of this week’s abductions by vigilante mobs prior to the act.
Eyewitnesses alleged gangsters and religious extremists carried out the abductions as part of an effort to identify cyber activists supporting atheism and secularism in the Maldives. The abductees were also accused of homosexuality and atheism and were asked to prove their faith in Islam, sources said.
“With the recent kidnappings of some Maldivians by an Islamist vigilant mob of about 40, on the pretext their victims are ‘laadheenee’ or ‘impious’, I will advise everyone to really be careful about any kinds of threats because now I believe they can turn real all too easily,” Hilath said.
The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has also expressed concern over the prevalence of cyber threats of violence and urged victims to report threats made via Facebook, Twitter, or comments on blog posts to the Maldives Police Services.
“In light of recent events, at a time of high levels of intolerance, and increase in gang related violence, do not treat any form of cyber threat as an idle threat,” HRCM Vice President Ahmed Tholal said.
However, prominent blogger Yameen Rasheed said he does not trust the police to protect bloggers, especially those who advocate for freedom of religion. He noted the police had failed to take action against individuals who had attacked Hilath in the December 2011 assault, despite photographic evidence.
“There is nothing you can do. I do not believe police will take action. There are some among the police who sympathise with the attackers,” he said.
The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has also alleged that extremist ideologies are prevalent among the security forces.
Yameen, who has also received cyber threats, said his fellow bloggers in the Maldives blogosphere “don’t feel secure at all” in light of the recent abductions.
In a blog post on Tuesday, Yameen has suggested the government backs the individuals behind the abductions. He said he expects more threats for his blog posts, but feels the only precaution he can take is documenting and publicising the incidents.
Whistleblower Aishath Velezinee and Raajje TV journalist Asward Ibrahim Waheed, who both suffered physical violence after receiving death threats online, have also urged victims of cyber harassment to take precautions when threatened online.
Velezinee was stabbed in 2010 for her revelations of judicial corruption while Asward was nearly beaten to death in 2012 after writing reports critical of the government.
Both Velezinee and Asward also expressed low levels of confidence in the security forces’ ability to take action.
“I made public the private messages that had been sent to me. There was no other way but to make the public as aware as possible,” Velezinee said.
Speaking of harassment online, Velezinee said she was the victim of a smear campaign which labeled her as a drug addict and an infidel prior to the attack. “This is systematically done to justify the physical violence,” she said.
“Social media serves as a means of communication with the world. If they can silence social media users, it is a big win for them,” she said.
Asward said he believed the prevalence of death threats to be linked to a culture of accepting violence in the Maldives. In protests across the political spectrum, demonstrators call for people “to be hung, slaughtered, or killed,” he said. “Maldivians do not seem to call for discussion to solve issues.”
A media official at the Maldives Police Services told Minivan News today that cyber crimes are difficult to investigate due to challenges in tracing those who issue threats. A law on cyber crimes is needed to facilitate investigations, the police said.
A former law enforcement official who wished to remain anonymous also raised concerns over lack of legislation on cyber crimes, but said police must make use of their limited capacity to track down perpetrators in order to deter and limit the prevalence of online threats.
Former Deputy Prosecutor General Hussein Shameem has said threats issued on social media can be prosecuted under the Act on Prohibition of Threats and Use of Dangerous Weapons passed in 2010.
The Prosecutor General’s Office has pressed charges against individuals for threats made via phone calls and text messages, but have not yet received cases relating to social media and cyber threats, he said.
Other prominent figures who have eported receiving death threats via text messages and social media include former President Mohamed Nasheed, MDP MP Mariya Ahmed Didi, former Speaker Abdulla Shahid, ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives MP Ahmed Mahloof, and former Election Commission President Fuwad Thowfeek.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Maldives Police Services have started traffic policing in southern Addu City in the wake of frequent and dangerous accidents on the city’s link road.
The service was inaugurated on Monday (June 9).
Chief Inspector of Police Ahmed Shifan said the Addu Traffic Police Cell has employed experienced police officers who have already received training in the Malé Traffic Police Department.
In May, members of Afghanistan’s national football team were injured in an accident on the link road.
(0)Dislikes(0)The Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) has announced ten work-study openings on Tuesday.
MIRA will award employees selected under “learn while you earn” scholarships to study accounting at Maldivian colleges.
Employees are expected to work full time while studying, and will be paid for their work. The basic salary for the jobs are MVR 4000, but will receive an additional MVR 2000 in benefits. A further MVR 150 will be given per day as a service allowance and an MVR 75 per day for non practicing allowance.
(0)Dislikes(0)Human Rights Commission (HRCM) Vice President Ahmed Tholal has called for an immediate state response to reports of a series of vigilante attacks in the capital over recent days.
“The concern to me is that there needs to be a state response to state very clearly that we cannot just start labelling people un-Islamic as it’s a very dangerous thing,” said Tholal.
After multiple accounts of the abductions and assault of individuals perceived to be supportive of atheism or homosexuality, the HRCM plans to meet with state representatives in order to determine the cause for these events.
“I think the issue of safety of paramount. We’re not very clear why this is happening,” said Tholal. “But I think the key role is what the state response is going to be and putting an end to the speculation – to let the people know what is happening.”
After reports that senior government members met with citizens concerned about the harassment of Islam in the days before the attacks – some of whom have subsequently been linked with the abductions – Minivan News has been unable to obtain a response from the relevant authorities on this issue.
The vigilante group was believed to have been attempting to identify members of online secularist groups – some of which had repeatedly featured content defaming and mocking the prophet.
Freedom and responsibility
Tholal noted that the incidents had raised issues regarding freedom of expression but also the responsibility inherent in the enjoyment of that freedom – noting that the state should take action against criminal activity.
“It’s not just about people who are expressing these opinion,” said Tholal. “For one thing, the freedom of expression is highly sacred, and at the same time so is responsibility.”
Article 27 of the Maldives constitution grants the right to freedom of expression in a manner that is not contrary to any tenet of Islam.
Police began investigations into anti-Islamic comment posted on the ‘Maldives Atheists’ Facebook page in March this year, although no arrests have as yet been made.
Expressing his fear that Maldivian society was becoming less tolerant of diverse opinion, Tholal noted that people’s freedom of expression must be based on understanding rather than intimidation.
“Reinterpretations should be based, not on fear, but on an understanding that there are things you cannot say as they might hurt people or be hateful or incite violence,” he said.
Self-censorship
Ismail Hilath Rasheed, a self-exiled blogger who was subjected to multiple attacks as a result of his outspoken calls for freedom of expression has also suggested greater tolerance is needed across Maldivian society.
“Freedom of expression should not be abused as to lead to anarchy and chaos. Such a balanced equilibrium can be obtained only through granting minority rights, which means the sorely missing secularism in the context of Maldives.”
“This is where we need to build bridges – a bridge to gap the gulf between moderates and extremists on all sides,” said the former journalist.
Hilath has suggested that many Maldivians – including himself – were now refraining from expressing themselves due to the current climate of fear.
“With the liberal community now opting to refrain from exercising their right to free expression, the Maldives as a culture and society will plunge into an abyss unless the powers that be give them the courage to come out and contribute to society’s collective creativity, and express free expression without fear,” he said.
A landmark ‘Threat Analysis Report’ by the Maldives Broadcasting Commission earlier this year found 84 percent of journalists surveyed had been threatened at least once, with 27 percent noting a reluctance to cover certain topics.
Journalists identified political parties to be the top source of threat, while gangs and religious extremists – both alleged to have been involved in recent attacks – were next on the list.
Other than coverage of a Maldivian Democratic Party press release expressing concern over the incidents, local media has not reported on the succession of attacks.
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