Tag: maldives news

Amnesty International urges Maldives to investigate brutality at Anbaraa

Amnesty International has urged the Maldives to investigate allegations of police brutality during a raid on a music festival on Anbaraa Island in April.

Although police claimed they carried out the raid on suspicion of drug abuse, their actions on Anbaraa seems to have been focused on stopping the festival and forcing women to cover themselves up, said Amnesty.

The organisation highlighted claims of unnecessary force, arbitrary arrest of 79 festival goers on alleged possession and use of drugs, ill treatment of detainees in police custody and denial of rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression.

Festival participants told Amnesty that the police manhandled many of them, verbally abused them, threw them to the ground, and forced them to lie face down.

Police also ransacked and looted their belongings, said festival-goers. Some detainees were beaten up while other suffered sexual harassment, Amnesty was told.

The Police Integrity Commission (PIC) said it has not received any requests to investigate police brutality during the festival.

Police were not responding to calls at the time of press.

Arbitrary arrest

Of the 200 festivalgoers, police only arrested 79 – including 19 women and a 17-year-old girl. The rest were set free.

It was only in remand hearings that the detainees learned they had been taken into custody for the possession and use of drugs.

Contrary to police statements that all detainees had tested positive for drugs at the time of arrest, drug tests were only performed after the court hearings at the Dhoonidhoo detention center, Amnesty said.

“The police said they raided the Anbaraa festival because the participants were using drugs. However, the delay in carrying out drug tests, and the fact no one has been charged with any offence, raises concern that this was only a pretext.”

The raid occurred despite approval from the authorities including the Ministry of Tourism to hold the festival, Amnesty said.

“However, in the very early hours of 20 April, the police raided the island from the sea in full riot gear and masks, shot off flares and rubber bullets and rounded up festival goers,” Amnesty’s statement said.

The organisation reminded the Maldives Police Service that law enforcement officials shall “as far as possible apply nonviolent means before resorting to the use of force and firearms” as per UN basic principles number four on use of force and firearms.

Festivalgoers told Amnesty that officers beat them up when asked to explain why they were being arrested.

One participant told Amnesty that she was kicked hard in the back by a policeman for not putting her hands up when ordered to, because in a state of shock she did not know what she was supposed to do.

Police officers also used pepper spray without provocation, they said.

Sexual abuse

Female participants told Amnesty of sexual abuse and humiliation. Police officers allegedly told female detainees they would “shove their batons up them.”

Another woman recounted: “We were separated from the men and then the police draped the women, some of whom were wearing shorts and shirts, with material because they said we were not decent.”

“They also filmed us. They meant to humiliate us and refused to say why we had been arrested. We spent the night in handcuffs, with little water and no food until morning,” she continued.

Police action seems to have focused on forcing women to cover themselves up, Amnesty said.

“Although there are no laws banning music in the Maldives and Islamic dress is not mandatory, police action appears to have focused on stopping the music festival and forcing women wearing skirts and shirts to cover themselves,” the statement said.

The last of the three Maldivians in custody were transferred to house arrest on June 2. A Malaysian national is still at the Dhoonidhoo Detention Center, Amnesty said.

Amnesty International has called attention to the police’s frequent use of excessive force against demonstrators, especially in the aftermath of the controversial transfer of power in February 2012.

A previous version of this article incorrectly said five of the Anbaraa detainees are still in custody.

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EU elections observers recommend legislation to improve future polls

The European Union’s Election Observation Mission (EOM) has recommended the Maldives take steps to clarify jurisdictional overlaps and to ensure the transparency of campaign finance.

“Our recommendations are focused on improving the environment for the next elections here in the Maldives,” said Chief Observer Edward Kukan.

“They are potential solutions, cornerstones for debate,” he added.

Presenting the final report of the mission conducted during the Majlis elections in march, the observers also advised further efforts to reduce vote buying and to guarantee secrecy of the vote.

As well as highlighting Supreme Court “interference” in the electoral process, the EU mission suggested that the dismissal of senior elections commissioners less than two weeks prior to polling violated both the constitution and the Elections Commission Act.

“Legislation should clearly define the division of the competencies of the courts, the Election Commission, the police and the Anti-Corruption Commission during the electoral process,” read the report.

The EOM also noted the lack of clarity surrounding the legal validity of the 16-point guidelines introduced by the Supreme Court during last year’s presidential elections.

“These guidelines did not appear to improve the elections process and they were not always practical or implementable.”

The mission – which also conducted media monitoring – called for an amendment to Article 27 of the constitution, which relates to freedom of expression that is not deemed contrary to the tenets of Islam.

The report recommended changing the article to bring it into alignment with the Maldives commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Article 19 of the ICCPR calls for everyone to have the freedom to “seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print.”

Additional recommendations made by the group included greater efforts to promote the participation of women, whom the report described as being “acutely under-represented in public life”.

The decrease in the percentage of female MPs elected in March was viewed in the report of growing conservatism and de facto discrimination across society.

Securing votes

Following suggestions of local civil society that the fairness of the poll had been threatened by ‘money politics’, today’s report called for the overhaul of campaign finance rules.

“The area of campaign finance is insufficiently regulated and there were widespread allegations that over-spending as well as vote-buying were common practice.”

Regulations regarding “third party spending and in-kind” contributions” ought to be implemented, said the mission, while there should be an effort to minimise the use of state resources and a moratorium on candidates’ opening public works during campaigning.

Mission members noted that road construction projects were inaugurated in Addu atoll in the presence of President Abdulla Yameen and Progressive Party of Maldives candidates – a task normally reserved for the city council.

“Numerous reports of excessive campaign expenditure, as well as abuse of state resources, suggest the playing field was not level.”

Observers noted receiving reports of widespread vote-buying, threats, and bribery – these included the distribution of TVs and washing machines, scholarships, loans, and medical treatments.

Representatives of all parties aired allegations of endemic corruption following the March 22 vote, which saw pro-government parties win a handsome majority

It was also noted that the deadline for the declaration of campaign spending by candidates currently comes 14 days after period for legally challenging results expires.

Further recommendations made today included measures to protect the secrecy of small numbers of voters casting their ballots outside of their constituency.

The report argued that people should be allowed to register as voters in the constituencies in which they permanently reside in order to be effectively represented by their MP. Currently, Maldivian citizens are permanently registered on the island on which they were born.

With regards to the media environment, the mission suggested a merger between the Media Council and the Broadcasting Commission in order to provide a “clear delineation of responsibilities” for oversight during future elections.

The EU’s mission involved 30 observers from 16 EU member states, observing the entire electoral process including the legal framework, campaigning, media conduct, voting, ballot counting, and the general electoral environment.

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Maumoon Hameed and Criminal Court Judge Muhuthaz Muhsin nominated for prosecutor general

President Abdulla Yameen has nominated his nephew Maumoon Hameed and Criminal Court Judge Muhuthaz Muhsin for the vacant post of prosecutor general (PG).

The 17th People’s Majlis had rejected Hameed for the position in March. However, he is expected to win the post as Yameen’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) holds a majority in the new Majlis.

The 18th People’s Majlis was sworn in on May 28.

Acting PG Hussein Shameem’s resignation in early May brought the criminal justice system to a halt after state prosecutors went on strike, citing concerns of a lack of accountability in the absence of a PG.

However, the Supreme Court ordered prosecutors to resume work “without any further excuse” and ordered the seniormost official at the PG office to assume the relevant responsibilities.

Yameen refused to submit a new nominee to the 17th Majlis during the crisis and opened up a third call for applicants.

In addition to Hameed and Muhsin, former Tourism Minister Mariyam Zulfa, state prosecutor Fazna Ahmed, and Drug Court Judge Mahaz Ali applied for the position.

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BML aims to provide basic banking services to all islands by 2017

The Bank of Maldives Pvt Ltd has announced it will provide basic banking services to all inhabited islands in the Maldives by 2017.

Speaking at the national bank’s annual general meeting on May 29, CEO Andrew Healy said these services would include cash deposits, cash withdrawals, transfers and payments.

By December 10, 50 islands that do not have banking services will receive cash withdrawal services. BML intends to install card machines in retail and other outlets on islands.

“Today’s announcement reflects our steadfast commitment to expand banking services to all parts of the country and in particular to reach out to the remote islands. This financial inclusion programme will take time to roll out but 50 islands will benefit this year and we will be in a position to announce more details on these over the next few months,” Healy said.

The bank’s three-year strategy, unveiled at the AGM, said it will focus on financial inclusion, customer service and support for businesses.

BML will introduce a new business banking unit where each business customer is to be assigned a dedicated relationship manager and dedicated counters are to be allocated for business customers.

The bank also plans to launch Islamic banking services by the end of this year.

If the targetted progress is made, BML will be in a position to consider international expansion in 2017, a press release by the bank said.

On May 27, the bank announced customers will no longer have to pay for cash withdrawals from its ATMs. Customers can withdraw MVR 10,000 using the Visa Classic and American Express Green debit cards, and MVR15,000 using the American Express Gold debit cards without the previous MVR2 transaction charge.

BML customers also no longer have to pay for transferring money between different branches or accounts across the country. Previously, a charge of between MVR25 and MVR3,000 was applicable, depending on the size of the transfer.

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MJA cancels executive council vote amidst chaos

The Maldives Journalist Association (MJA) has cancelled a vote to elect members to its governing executive council amid chaotic scenes.

Members disrupted the meeting over the secretariat’s decision to hold an open vote. Journalists called for a secret ballot claiming junior reporters would be compelled to vote for their employers in an open vote.

However, the secretariat decided to go ahead by counting hands in favor, but cancelled the vote when some members refused to back down.

This is the second attempt by the MJA – founded in 2009 – in the past year to elect its governing body.

Journalists also took issue with the absence of their names from the membership list.

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PPM and MDP elect parliamentary group leaders

The Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) have elected leaders of their parliamentary groups.

Ruling PPM elected MP for Villimalé constituency Ahmed Nihan in an election held on Monday. MP for Vilifushi Riyaz Rasheed was elected as a deputy. Nihan is now the majority leader as PPM holds a majority in the parliament with 38 MPs.

MP for Hinnavaru constituency Ibrahim ‘Ibu’ Solih was elected uncontested to head the opposition MDP’s parliamentary group in an election on Sunday. He is now the Majlis’ minority leader.

MP for Meedhoo constituency Rozaina Adam was elected deputy PG leader of the 25 member MDP group.

The 14 MP Jumhooree Party (JP) also elected their MP Gasim Ibrahim as parliamentary group last week.

The 18th People’s Majlis convened on May 28.

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JSC lawyer to be elected under new regulations

The Attorney General’s Office has compiled new regulations to elect a member to represent lawyers for the ten-member judicial oversight body.

The regulations publicised on Sunday set new qualifications for a lawyer to stand for the Judicial Services Commission (JSC). A lawyer must be above 25 years of age, and must not hold political party membership or a criminal record.

Further, if a lawyer has completed a five year term previously, they will not be eligible to stand again.

The election will be held at the AG office. The office will give ten days notice to all lawyers before elections take place. Polls will be open from 8:30am – 4: 30pm on election day. If the date falls during the month of Ramadan, polls will be open from 9:30am – 3:30pm.

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Doctor at Fuvahmulah Hospital refuses to deliver stillborn baby

A doctor at Fuvahmulah Hospital has refused to do C-section surgery on a nine-months pregnant woman whose baby had died in the womb.

The gynecologist refused to do a cesarean, saying she was not ready to take the risk as there was no surgeon or a pediatrician present, local media has reported.

A relative of the patient told Haveeru that they were now waiting for her to give birth naturally as the hospital does not have obstetric gel which is required to ease birth in such situations.

The Ministry of Health and Gender is currently investigating both incidents, telling the press that it would not comment before it had finished.

Citing the family member, Haveeru reported that the patient was first taken to the hospital after she started having labour pains and was immediately taken into the labour room around 10:45pm on May 31.

The hospital reported the next day that both the baby and the mother were in good health, said the relative.

“And this evening (June 1) around 5:30pm, the doctor came out of the labour room and suddenly said the baby has died. According to the doctor the baby’s heart beat went too low. They didn’t provide any further information,” they added.

According to local media reports the female doctor, a Pakistani national who joined the hospital four months ago, is the only gynecologist working at the hospital and had been involved in a similar incident the previous evening.

Media reported that the doctor had refused to do cesarean surgery on a 25-year-old woman brought into the hospital, stating that she was scared to go ahead with it.

Reports say that after making an incision into the patient,  the doctor then sewed it up before the woman was transferred to Hithadhoo regional hospital in the neighbouring atoll for delivery.

Meanwhile, opposition Maldivian Democratic Party MP Rozaina Adam has today submitted a medical negligence bill to the parliament stating it to be “very important in light of the current medical situation in the Maldives”.

Rozaina told Minivan News that the bill, drafted in 2011, was delayed as she was awaiting both comments and two other bills from the Health Ministry, which medical professionals had told her would complement her proposed legislation.

Following the transfusion of HIV positive blood to a patient due to a technical error at IGMH earlier this year, Rozaina opted to submit the bill without the ministry’s comments.

“We didnt receive any comment from the gender ministry, earlier they said this bill has to come with legislation concerning health professionals and with health services,” explained the Addu Meedhoo MP.

“But three years has passed waiting for their comments, so I decided to submit it – especially considering that such incidents are taking place. From the perspective of patients this cannot be delayed, and I think the government will speed up the other bills once this bill is in the Majlis,” said Rozaina.

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