Tag: maldives

Convicted murderer retracts confession in High Court

Ahmed Murrath – the man sentenced to death by the Criminal Court after being found guilty of murdering a prominent lawyer in 2012 – has today retracted his confession given.

Newspaper Haveeru has reported that Murrath’s lawyer Abdul Hakeem Rashadh told the High Court his client’s hands were handcuffed behind his back when he made the confession and therefore it could not be considered a confession made without coercion.

Rashadh also told the court that Murrath did not willfully commit the murder because he was under the influence of illegal drugs, and also that his client had the opportunity to deny the confession as no witness had seen him committing the murder.

Haveeru reported that Murrath spoke inside the court today, telling judges that when he was in pretrial detention police had refused him access to a doctor.

Murrath acknowledged he is a drug addict and that he had experienced a pain in his body, in response to which police officers at the detention centre had given him a plastic bag containing tea.

Furthermore, it was reported that the Prosecutor General’s Office told the court there were two contradicting statements provided by Murrath, inquiring as to which one should respond.

The court told the PG’s lawyer to prepare his response at the next hearing, asking both parties to make it the final hearing.

Murrath’s girlfriend, Fathimath Hana of Rihab house in Shaviyani Goidhoo island, was also sentenced to life in the case after she confessed to “helping” her boyfriend kill Ahmed Najeeb.

The 65 year-old lawyer’s body was found stuffed inside a dustbin at Masroora house – Murrath’s residence – badly beaten with multiple stab wounds.

Speaking at the Criminal Court during the 2012 trial, Murrath’s girlfriend said that her boyfriend killed Najeeb after he became “sure” the lawyer had attempted to sexually assault her. She admitted to tying Najeeb’s hand, legs, and taped his mouth while Murrath threatened him with a knife.

“We thought he must have a lot of money as he is a lawyer,” she told the court, after declining representation from a lawyer.

Najeeb’s cash card was taken from him and the pair had used it to withdraw money.

According to Hanaa, she did not know that the victim had been killed until Murrath woke her up and told her at around 4:00am. At the time Hanaa said she was sleeping – intoxicated from drinking alcohol.

Murrath corroborated this course of events in his statement, saying that she was asleep when he killed the lawyer. He confessed to killing Najeeb out of anger and apologised to the family members.

On February 9, the cabinet advised President Abdulla Yameen that there was no legal obstruction to implementing death sentences, after the Home Minister Umar Naseer had ordered an end to the 60 year moratorium on executions.

The order closely followed the conclusion of the Dr Afrasheem Ali murder trial, in which Hussein Humam was sentenced to death. Similarly, Humam also claimed that his confession – currently being used as key evidence against his alleged accomplice – was given under duress.

Naseer stated that the order is applicable to all pending sentences, of which there are approximately 20.

In December 2012, the then-Attorney General Azima Shukoor drafted a bill outlining how the death sentence should be executed in the Maldives, with lethal injection being identified as the state’s preferred method of capital punishment.

The last person to be executed in the Maldives was Hakim Didi, who was executed by firing squad in 1953 after being found guilty of conspiracy to murder using black magic.

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EPA advises Majlis campaigners not to litter

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has advised all political parties from littering the streets as campaigning for March’s Majlis elections continues.

Assistant Director of EPA Ahmed Murthala told Sun Online that several complaints had been received, adding that the EPA could not currently monitor violations due to staff shortages. The EPA is discussing ways to tackle breaches with the police, Sun was told.

The streets of the capital Malé were frequently strewn with campaign material during last year’s presidential election.

Last week, the city council revealed plans to introduce 200 dustbins as part of new regulations on waste management.

The waste management regulation came into force on February 5 and imposes an MVR100 (US$6.5) for littering and a fine between MVR10,000 (US$ 648.5) – MVR100,000 (US$6,485) if any authority in charge of public spaces fails to place public dustbins.

The regulations also mandate boat owners to place dustbins on sea vessels and imposes a fine between MVR100 million (US$6.5 million) and MVR500 million (US$32.4 million) on boats that dump waste into the ocean.

Murthala told Sun, however, that certain parts of the regulations – including the transportation of exposed waste on bicycles – will be postponed for two months.

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Maldives – A Return to Religious Conservatism: The Diplomat

“As Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen completed three months in office on February 17, one could not help but notice the Indian Ocean archipelago’s return to religious conservatism and its growing engagement with China,” writes Vishal Arora for the diplomat.

“The Maldives, a string of 1,192 islands, has made several moves to cement the supremacy of Sunni Islam since Yameen was sworn in as president in November 2013.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has set its top priorities for 2014, which include blocking all religions except Islam in the nation, ensuring that all laws and regulations adhere to Islamic principles and developing and strengthening the Islamic Fiqh Academy to issue fatwas.

The ministry has also signed an agreement with the Saudi Arabian Muslim Scholars Association to receive a grant of MVR1.6 million, or $104,166, for the “mutual goal” of developing and improving the study of the Quran and religion.”

Read more

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Government shuts down mosque due to congregation of “extremists”

Malé City Council has shut down the Dharumavantha Rasgefaanu mosque to stop unauthorised Friday prayers by a group described as “extremists” by the Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali.

A City Council notice posted at the mosque said that on the Ministry of Home Affairs’ request it was to be temporarily shutdown following yesterday’s morning prayers.

Minivan News observed at the time of A’sr prayers that the mosque did not have any group congregation, however the notice posted at the mosque was no longer visible. Only a few individuals worshippers were present.

A copy of the Home Ministry letter signed by Minister Umar Naseer – posted along with the notice –  requested the shutdown “as a first step” against unauthorised Friday prayers performed in the mosque.

The large congregation gathered at the mosque last Friday expressed their opposition through prayers asking Allah to weaken and current government and it’s leaders, CNM reported.

The worshipers at the mosque also prayed against the heads of the government, Islamic ministry and city council, asking for their ill-health and for a calamity to befall upon them.

The congregation asked Allah to destroy the government and to give victory against the “irreligious” government which attempts to obstruct the spreading of Allah’s message and to shut down mosques. Requesting victory, they also asked from Allah to destroy and send his wrath upon military and police officer who implement the government’s orders.

Jurisdiction

Following the Decentralisation Act of 2010, jurisdiction for all mosques falls under the island and city councils.

Malé City Councillor ‘Jambu’ Hassan Afeef who is in charge of managing the city mosques said the council will cooperate with the government, whether it is the police or the Islamic Ministry, in whatever measures needs to be taken to resolve the issue.

He said the Islamic Ministry had earlier sent a letter to the council regarding the mosque.

“We replied saying that the council’s mandate is to provide basic services for the public. If there is some irreligious activity going on, the ministry should get involved. And if something unlawful is going on, the Home Ministry and police should be involved,” said Afeef.

While police would not comment on the issue, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that the length of the mosque’s closure remains up to the city council and that the ministry has not yet decided on any future steps to be taken regarding the issue.

Minister Shaheem has previously stated that the ministry had no mandate to act against “undesirable activities” carried out in mosques. Shaheem and his Adhaalath Party have on various occasions demanded that mosques and Imams function under the Islamic Ministry’s authority.

“Broadening the role of mosques” was among the key eleven policy objectives recently revealed by the ministry.

Religious divisions and moderation

Umar Naseer has earlier acknowledged the existence of religious divisions in the Maldives and pledged to put an end to it. “Creating divisions in Islamic nations is the handiwork of enemies of Islam,” Naseer was quoted as saying in local media

Moderation was at the center of the Islamic Ministry’s recently revealed policies, while it was earlier criticised by members of the ruling coalition.

Minister Shaheem has earlier stated that the preaching at the Dharumavantha mosque can sometimes be “very extreme”.

Praying in congregations separate from the state-approved mosques under state-approved imams has often been described as a sign of Islamic extremism. Despite opposition from repeated governments, the practice has continued with the rise of religious extremism in Maldives.

An Azhar educated Islamic Scholar himself, President Gayoom has been accused of persecuting radicals and Wahhabis, including torturing religious scholars and groups who rejected the then-state approved version of Islam.

Commenting on the situation, a former member of the Dharumavantha mosque congregation told Minivan News that shutting down the mosque or arresting the members of congregation was unlikely to end it.

“You can’t change what people believe using force. Under Gayoom, I was arrested and kept in solitary confinement for weeks and sometimes months for praying in separate congregations and being involved with such groups. If anything, my convictions became even stronger and my thinking more radicalised,” he said.

He explained that many of his friends stopped going to the mosque around 2009 after being convinced it was wrong after dialogue with Islamic scholars.

“We are not one hundred percent happy about the way things are, but we realised we should be part of the community and not creating divisions. Now we are currently working with Islamic NGOs to create awareness – not just in Islamic issues but also social and even health issues,” he said.

“There is concern that things might be returning to how they were. But that will only make things worse. They should be educated and guided. I don’t agree with what they are doing either. But this is not how it should be dealt with,” he said.

Under President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration, regulation of religion was left mainly in the hands of conservative Adhaalath Party. More radical elements that strayed from the state-approved version of Islam were not persecuted at this time, despite their actions still being unlawful.

The government’s policy in combating extremism shifted to a rehabilitation model within this period.

Questioning the success of these efforts, the current Islamic Minister Sheikh Shaheem – who had earlier advocated for a similar model – has labelled it a failure.

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Supreme Court invalidates Thasmeen’s Majlis membership challenge

The Supreme Court has invalidated a challenge against Ahmed Thasmeen Ali’s People’s Majlis seat.

The ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) council member, Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim (Wadde), asked the Supreme Court to revoke Thasmeen’s seat claiming he had not paid back an MVR1.9 million (US$124,513) loan to Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim as per a Civil Court ruling.

Local newspaper CNM reported that the case was invalidated after the Supreme Court was unable to summon Wadde to court.

Article 73(c) of the constitution states: “A person shall be disqualified from election as, a member of the People’s Majlis, or a member of the People’s Majlis immediately becomes disqualified, if he has a decreed debt which is not being paid as provided in the judgment.”

Wadde said that, although Thasmeen had repaid the loan, he did not pay within the time period delineated in the Civil Court ruling, which required the repayment of MVR320,000 (US$20,779) each month for six consecutive months to clear the debt by April 2012. Thasmeen only settled the debt in July 2012 after the High Court upheld the Civil Court’s ruling.

The Supreme Court in October stripped opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ali Azim and Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party MP Mohamed Nashiz of their seats over decreed debt. The pair were guarantors for five credit facilities worth MVR117 million (US$9 million) issued to Funadoo Tuna Products by the Bank of Maldives.

Thasmeen, Nashiz, and Azim are contesting the March People’s Majlis elections on the opposition MDP ticket.

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Registration for People’s Majlis vote to open on February 18

The Elections Commission (EC) will open up voter registration for the People’s Majlis elections this Tuesday (February 18).

All eligible voters who wish to vote in a location other than their permanent address must register to vote – regardless of whether they had already changed voting location for the January 18 local council election.

Registration deadline is February 28. Parliamentary polls are scheduled for March 22.

Voters will be required to put their fingerprints on registration forms as per the Supreme Court’s electoral guideline.

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Tourism faculty and naval craft to be handed over during Indian minister’s visit

The Indian High Commission in the Maldives has revealed that the country’s External Affair’s Minister Salman Khurshid will hand over a naval landing craft to the Maldives National Defence Force this week.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Maldives said on Thursday that Minister Khurshid will be visiting the Maldives this week on invitation of Foreign Minister Dhunya Maumoon.

The India Maldives Friendship Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism – constructed by the Indian Government – will also be officially handed to the Maldives during the visit.

The US$11 million facility – begun in 2002 – will provide state-of-the-art infrastructure and equipment for training Maldivians in tourism and hospitality sector.

“The project envisages India’s continued engagement with the institution through deputation of experts, curriculum support, and exchange of faculty from reputed hotel management institutes of India,” the Indian High Commission has stated.

Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives Rajeev Shahare stated that the visit would present an opportunity to discuss the implementation of projects agreed upon during President Abdulla Yameen’s initial official visit to India.

In addition to the handing over of these facilities to the Maldivian governement at an event planned to be held on Wednesday [February 19], External Affairs Minister Khurshid will also be participating in the SAARC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting scheduled to be held in the Maldives on February 20.

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Criminal Court staff file complaint over ‘unlawful suspension’

Criminal Court staff suspended following a refusal to work overtime without pay have asked the Department of Judicial Administration to review the court’s ‘unlawful’ decision.

Eleven staff members at the Criminal Court refused to work overtime on February 10 and were suspended on February 13.

The Criminal Court has subsequently decided to close offices after official work hours due to budget restrictions.

The court at the time told the press that it had no funds to pay overtime allowances for employees, and that the Ministry of Finance had not responded regarding the matter. The Civil Court has taken the same measures owing to lack of funds.

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Two arrested for stealing safe from health centre

The police have arrested two suspects in a case where the safe of Alifu Dhaalu Atoll Dhangethi Island Health Centre’s safe was stolen.

According to the police, the incident occurred last Thursday night (13 February).

Police said that patrolling officers that night noticed the windows of the island health post were opened and checked to see if everything was alright before found out that the safe was stolen.

The safe was found one and a half hours later, and police was able to recover the money inside the safe as well.

Dhangethi police station is investigating the case.

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