The Canadian government has condemned a government crackdown on a mass anti-government protest on May Day.
“In light of clashes at recent protests in Maldives, Canada condemns the crackdown by the increasingly authoritarian government and its evident lack of respect for democracy,” said the Canadian foreign minister, Rob Nicholson, in a statement yesterday.
Tens of thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets on Friday over the jailing of ex-president Mohamed Nasheed and government authoritarianism. Clashes broke out when protesters attempted to enter Malé City’s central square, an area where protests are banned, at dusk.
Opposition leaders and 193 protesters were detained in the largest number of arrests from a single protest in a decade. Scores were injured and two police officers were beaten.
The criminal court has remanded over 170 protesters for 15 days.
“Canada stands with the tens of thousands of peaceful Maldivians from across the country who have congregated to call for the release of political prisoners and the restoration of the rule of law,” Nicholson said.
“The trial and treatment of former president Mohamed Nasheed is appalling. An effective and thorough review of the investigation and legal proceedings is vital to ensure that international and domestic obligations related to fair trials and the rule of law are fully respected.
“We urge all sides to remain calm and exercise restraint in the face of violence. At the same time, we underline the need for respect for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. We also urge the government of Maldives to reaffirm its commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law.”
Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years on terrorism charges relating to the arrest of a judge during his tenure. The trial was rushed and widely criticised by foreign governments, international bodies and human rights groups.
The EU parliament last week called on the government to free Nasheed immediately and has urged member states to warn tourists on Maldives’ human rights record.
The US secretary of state John Kerry added his voice to growing criticism on Saturday, saying Nasheed’s imprisonment is “an injustice that needs to be addressed soon.”
“We’ve seen even now how regrettably there are troubling signs that democracy is under threat in the Maldives where the former president Nasheed has been imprisoned without due process,” he said.
The government, however, remains defiant, dismissing Kerry’s remarks as “personal views” and saying the EU parliament’s resolution is no cause for concern.
Foreign minister Dunya Maumoon on Friday said President Abdulla Yameen’s government will not comply with demands from foreign governments to “meddle” in judicial affairs and release a convict.
Dunya has reacted furiously to statements by Canada in the past, saying they were biased and untrue.
Approximately 20,000 people took to the streets on May Day in the largest anti-government protest in a decade. But protesters failed to seek the release of ex-president Mohamed Nasheed or force the government to negotiate. Instead, scores were arrested and injured in violent clashes.
What happened? Who attacked first, protesters or police? Did the security forces use disproportionate force? Minivan News recounts what we saw and heard on the streets of Malé.
Revolutionary fervour was in the air when protesters set off at 4:45pm on a march through Malé’s thoroughfare Majeedhee Magu. The de facto leader, Adhaalath Party president Sheikh Imran Abdulla, started the march saying the opposition would “emerge victorious.”
From the start, the opposition Maldivians against tyranny coalition’s plans were unclear to protesters. Many expected leaders to announce plans at the end of the march. Protesters were geared up for a crackdown, some wore swimming goggles and surgical masks and had fashioned home made masks out of plastic bottles. Many carried bottles of coca cola to reduce effects of pepper spray and tear gas.
The Qur’an was blaring over static from a lorry at the frontline, while music was playing on lorries stationed in the middle and at the end. Protesters marched at a brisk pace as onlookers applauded and waved. Several megaphones, set up on balconies at private residences, were broadcasting opposition-aligned Raajje TV and 97 Minivan radio’s live coverage of the march.
At the western edge of Majeedhee Magu, opposition leaders stopped to speak to the crowds. A nervous energy hung in the air. Speakers said Muslims were obligated to stand up against tyranny and injustice. The Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) chairperson Ali Waheed said he would only go home after securing Nasheed’s release.
Protesters in the middle and at the tail end could not hear the speeches. The crowd was agitated. Some attempted unsuccessfully to get protesters to sit down on the street. When Sheikh Imran took the stage, protesters faced the setting sun and put up their hands in prayer. Many were crying when Imran tearfully prayed for courage to remain steadfast and for mercy from the security forces.
Then came the announcement that protesters were to go and perform dusk prayers at the Islamic Center located next to the city’s main Republic square and the police and military headquarters.
The crowd broke off chanting Allah Akbar, with groups of thousands taking various routes. Police in riot gear had blocked off all the roads leading to the Islamic center. Clashes broke out as protesters attempted to break through police lines. Security forces indiscriminately used pepper spray and beat protesters with batons.
The air was thick with tear gas, pepper spray, anger and fear.
At the fish market, blocks away from the republic square, Minivan News journalists saw Sheikh Imran and Ali Waheed turn back as others urged on protesters to march through police lines. But when the leaders turned back, protesters fell back. MP Ahmed Mahloof, however, attempted to lead the crowd, but the ranks were nervous and disorganised, falling back to police’s use of pepper spray.
Police officers were visibly tense.
In narrow lanes surrounding the square, police in riot gear pushed protesters back. Some took refuge in mosques and were pepper sprayed inside. Stun grenades were thrown. A standoff ensued at the fish market until a protest lorry drove through police lines knocking some officers to the ground, but protesters were unable to follow the lorry into the square.
Police cracked down. The crowd threw bottles and pavement bricks. Pitched battles ensued. Police had already arrested scores. Some detainees were frothing at the mouth and hyperventilating from the effects of pepper spray.
At 7pm, the protest was in disarray. Many had already gone home.
Confusion reigned. Messages began circulating, urging protesters to regroup, first at the Social Center at the western edge, then at Artificial Beach at the eastern edge, and finally on Chaandhanee Magu, the central road leading to the square.
The streets were littered with bottles, flags, placards and discarded shoes.
Opposition leaders, MP Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Jumhooree Party deputy leader Ameen Ibrahim, and MDP MPs urged protesters to regroup on Chaandhanee Magu. “We are here with you, we did not hide,” they said.
But protesters fell back when police fired thunder flashes and periodically charged into the crowd with batons. Lorries carrying dozens of police officers drove at high speed into the crowds.
Confrontations ensued with protesters throwing glass and plastic bottles. A policemen was severely beaten and was rescued by former MDP MP Ahmed Easa.
Irate police officers once again charged into the crowd, and trapped dozens of protesters in narrow blocked-off lanes and made indiscriminate arrests.
Hundreds of angry protesters remained in pockets, rallying around opposition leaders periodically, but dispersing when groups of police officers charged into the crowd. A Raajje TV cameraman was injured.
Some protesters took refuge in private homes. But police officers forcefully entered homes and indiscriminately pepper sprayed residents. Security forces and protesters hurled profanities at each other. A dozen officers also entered a building on Majeedhee Magu and took down a pair of megaphones.
Police stepped up arrests at 9pm, picking up people at random, packing them onto lorries and driving off at high speed. Easa who had helped the fallen police officer was arrested and taken onto a police lorry. He was surrounded by Specialist Operations officers and Minivan News journalists heard him scream repeatedly in pain.
At 11pm came the news that Sheikh Imran had been arrested from Ali Waheed’s apartment. Small scale confrontations continued on the streets, but the crowds dwindled as police continued indiscriminate arrests. Many who were arrested were driven to a different location in the city and released with warnings.
By 1am, the crowds had largely dispersed, but police presence remained high. By 2pm, the roads were nearly empty. Ali Waheed and JP’s Ameen Ibrahim were arrested by 3pm.
Photos by Shaari, Dhahau Naseem and Ahmed ‘Anju’ Azim.
Journalists in the Maldives face many challenges, dangers, and loss of freedom due to their role or expression of views, the state human rights watchdog has said.
“The commission has previously noted that Maldivian journalists face death threats and intimidation and that the Maldivian state has to work to establish an environment where journalists can operate freely,” the commission said in a statement issued today on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.
Journalists should be able to report information on issues of concern “truthfully, sincerely, and without fear”.
The commission urged the media to act responsibly and respect basic rights and societal norms in providing information.
Journalists should take special care when reporting on issues involving persons with special needs, children, and vulnerable groups, the commission advised.
The commission called on all state institutions to ensure a safe environment for reporting and provide information with ease.
In a tweet with the World Press Day hashtag, Vice president Dr Mohamed Jameel meanwhile said today that “we must applaud the role of journalists & free press in establishing a fair democratic society.”
On #WorldPressFreedomDay we must applaud the role of journalists & free press in establishing a fair democratic society. #WPFD2015
— Mohamed Jameel Ahmed (@MJameelAhmed) May 3, 2015
Important to value the talented young men & women journalists, and the courageous visionary character of those in charge of media. #WPFD2015
— Mohamed Jameel Ahmed (@MJameelAhmed) May 3, 2015
The government held a firework display in Malé tonight after declaring the opposition’s mass antigovernment protest a failure.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets yesterday over the jailing of ex-president Mohamed Nasheed, but police cracked down on protesters when they attempted to enter the city’s main square and dispersed the protest.
Hundreds including opposition leaders were arrested and injured in the crackdown, and two police officers suffered serious injuries in the clashes.
Announcing the fireworks event at a press conference this afternoon, MPs of the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) labeled the protest a coup attempt.
“A president is elected for five years. It’s very clear how [the state] must act towards those who come out to oust the government before that. Those people are attempting a coup. That is an unlawful protest,” MP Riyaz Rasheed said.
“You cannot change a government without us. I’m saying very clearly that cannot be done. The people with those capabilities are with the PPM,” he added.
The PPM in alliance with the Adhaalath Party and the Jumhooree Party (JP) had led a campaign in 2012 to oust former president Nasheed. He resigned on February 7, 2012, after a police and military mutiny.
Accusing President Abdulla Yameen of authoritarianism, the Adhaalath Party and the JP split from the ruling coalition in March and February, respectively, and allied with Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
“The protest failed, Imran went to jail and President Yameen will go forward with the nation,” MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla said.
Adhaalath president Sheikh Imran Abdulla, MDP chairperson Ali Waheed and JP deputy leader Ameen Ibrahim were arrested in a late night crackdown last night.
PPM parliamentary group leader Ahmed Nihan dismissed the opposition’s claims that 35,000 people had taken to the streets. He said only 13,000 had come out, but only to celebrate labor day and take selfies.
He described the protesters as unemployed young people who continue to depend on their parents for money to buy a cup of coffee.
“The 60 percent of people there do not support any political ideology, but since its May Day, labor day, they powdered their faces and came out to take photos for social media,” he said.
Many families are calling ruling party MPs requesting the release of family members who were arrested at protests, but “there is nothing we can do,” Nihan said.
Nihan says the government must dismiss civil servants and employees of state owned companies who were encouraging violence against police on social media.
“The parliamentary group requests the government to identify these people and give them notice as soon as possible and dismiss them. Open up opportunities for the young people who do not participate in such acts,” he said.
Praising the police for breaking up the protest, Nihan said the PPM parliamentary group will consider increasing financial and human resources for the police force.
MP Riyaz meanwhile warned the opposition the government stands ready to confront protesters: “we will not hide when they come out to beat us. We will hit back if we are beaten. We will not step back.
“This parliamentary group will do everything necessary to defend the government. We have a majority in all committees. We are telling the security forces and the independent commissions, you must carry out your responsibilities. Otherwise, the Majlis will take the required action,” he said.
The EU parliament today passed a resolution urging the Maldives to free ex president Mohamed Nasheed and calling on member states to issue warnings on the Maldives’ human rights record on their travel advice websites.
Nasheed was convicted of terrorism and sentenced to a 13 year jail term in a trial that sparked international outrage over lack of due process.
MEPs insisted that Nasheed should be immediately released, noting that the “controversial trial failed to meet national and international standards of justice.”
The EU parliament said it was gravely concerned about increasing tendencies towards authoritarian rule, noting a crackdown on political opponents including the imprisonment of former defence ministers and a ruling party MP, as well as the intimidation of media and civil society and the politicization of the judiciary.
The resolution, which comes ahead of a mass antigovernment protest tomorrow, encouraged “all actors in the Maldives to work together constructively in all areas,” and said the government must immediately end political interference in the judiciary, end all forms of violence including that against peaceful protesters.
MEPs urged a proper investigation into the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan, who has been missing since August last year, the resolution said.
They also condemned the reintroduction of the death penalty.
The resolution did not call for an asset freeze or a travel ban on government officials, as proposed by the conservative group of MEPs.
Hours before the resolution’s passing, state minister Mohamed Hussain Shareef, said the resolution did not concern the government, noting it is non-binding on member states.
He said the stronger provisions for a travel advisory and punitive measures had been removed from the final document.
State minister for tourism Hussain Lirar meanwhile said the government does not foresee adverse impacts on Maldives tourism from the resolution.
“The resolution carries no legal weight. Members states will only issue advisories if their national parliaments approve it,” he claimed.
Europeans make up nearly half of the tourist arrivals in the Maldives, and a strong travel warning could have devastating impact on the country’s economy, which is largely dependent on revenue from tourism.
A tourism industry insider, who wished to remain anonymous, also said: “as long as there are no punitive measures, it may not have impacts on business. But this does increase consumer awareness. A more ethical tourist may choose not to come to the Maldives now. But tour operators will continue selling holidays here.”
Calls for a selective tourism boycott has been growing internationally following Nasheed’s arrest, with Richard Branson of the Virgin group saying he will no longer holiday in the Maldives.
A group called Ethical Maldives, which calls on tourists to avoid resorts owned by businessmen who support the ruling party, is also gaining international media attention.
Opposition politicians were not responding at the time of going to press.
The US state department has highlighted the unresolved disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan in a campaign ahead of international press freedom day on May 3.
Acting spokesperson Marie Harf called on the Maldives to “credibly investigate the disappearance” during a press briefing in Washington DC on Wednesday.
Rilwan is believed to have been abducted at knifepoint outside his apartment building in a Malé suburb in the early morning of August 8. The 28-year-old reporter wrote on politics, criminal gangs and Islamic extremism.
Rilwan had received clear threats to his life in the weeks prior to his disappearance, and an investigative report by a local human rights group has implicated radicalised gangs in the abduction.
Harf called on the government “to take the steps necessary to create space for independent journalists to work without fear of violence or harassment, including ending impunity for attacks and intimidation against journalists.”
Police investigations has been slow despite nine months passing since the disappearance was reported.
In a statement last week, the police said they are continuing with the investigation, and have received some forensic analysis reports of samples from three different cars that may have been used in the abduction.
“The investigative team is now reviewing how we may continue with the investigation based on the results of some of the forensic analysis reports,” the April 23 statement said.
In October last year, the police arrested five individuals over the disappearance, but all have been released. Local media reported that several suspects left the Maldives in January, ostensibly for the war effort in Syria.
Home minister Umar Naseer has also acknowledged the involvement of gangs in Rilwan’s disappearance.
His family has accused the police of negligence, saying officers failed to stop and search the car used in the abduction, despite eye witnesses having filed a report with the police immediately after observing the abduction.
Police officers had reportedly confiscated a knife from the scene.
Maldives journalists have repeatedly raised concerns over death threats to the press by Malé’s criminal gangs, but the police have failed to take substantive action against threats.
In March, local media cited a blog and reported that Rilwan had died fighting against the Islamic State in Kurdistan. However, the police said the blog was fake.
Former president Mohamed Nasheed’s lawyer say he is being kept in an isolated and filthy cell at a maximum security prison, but the home ministry maintains Nasheed is treated as a VIP and given special comforts.
Following a visit with the opposition leader at Maafushi Island jail on Tuesday, lawyers said the ex-president’s cell is adjacent to the prison garbage dump and is infested with flies and mosquitoes.
Nasheed, who is serving a 13-year sentence on terrorism, is forbidden from exercising, while the food is “barely edible.”
“The cell is situated far from the main prison and other inmates –nobody would be able to hear President Nasheed should he call out for help,” lawyers said.
Nasheed’s family and the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party have repeatedly expressed concern over alleged plots by the government to assassinate the opposition leader. But the government has dismissed the allegations as slanderous and baseless.
Meanwhile, Nasheed’s international legal counsel Jared Genser described the conditions in which Nasheed is held as “cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment” in violation of international anti-torture laws.
President Abdulla Yameen and home minister Umar Naseer may be “held legally responsible for the use of torture – we will take all necessary measures to hold the government to account for this treatment,” he added.
Nasheed was transferred to Maafushi Jail, on an island three hours from the capital, last week from a minimum security prison. Lawyers alleged security officers threatened to use force against Nasheed when he asked for time to pack before the transfer.
Speaking to Minivan News, a home ministry official said Nasheed “is afforded benefits no other prisoner receives.”
The opposition leader is allowed to see seven members of his family for two hours every week and he is given a ten minute phone call with his family for ten minutes every week, spokesperson Thazmeel Abdul Samad said.
Other prisoners are only afforded one family visit a month and one phone call a month.
Nasheed is given a menu to choose mildly-spiced meals and include fruits on the doctor’s advice. The special apartment has a flatscreen TV, a refrigerator, he continued.
The former president is allowed to read books sent by his family, and there are always a team of security guards within eyesight if he needs any help, said Thazmeel.
Nasheed’s arrest has sparked international outrage, with the European Union parliament today passing a resolution urging the government to release the former president immediately.
The resolution also calls on European countries to warn tourists on Maldives’ human rights record on their travel advice websites.
The opposition is meanwhile planning a 25,000 strong march in Malé tomorrow over Nasheed’s jailing and ex-defence minister Mohamed Nazim’s imprisonment.
The government has labeled the rally as an attempt to overthrow President Abdulla Yameen, but opposition coalition insists the demonstration will be peaceful.
Thousands of people from Maldives’ remote atolls are traveling to Malé this week for a mass antigovernment protest on Friday, but the police have threatened a crack down claiming opposition supporters are planning to attack the security officers and the residences of government officials.
The Maldivians against tyranny coalition has vowed to bring out 25,000 people on to the streets of Malé after the government turned down calls for negotiation over the imprisonment of ex president Mohamed Nasheed and former defence minister Mohamed Nazim.
Ilyas Labeeb, a former MP with the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), said over 2000 people have arrived in Malé by noon today and said an additional three thousand islanders are expected to arrive by boat over the next 48 hours.
The coalition says at least 15,000 people from Malé, where one-third of the Maldives’ 350,000 population live, will join the historic march.
Speaking to Minivan News, 47-year-old Mohamed Arif from southern Thaa Kimbidhoo said: “I came from my island today to bring an end to the tyranny the Maldivian people are facing. I want the current disobedient ruler, who does not seem to hear us, to listen to what we have to say.”
Arif was accompanied by 95 people from Kimbidhoo island.
The coalition is bearing the cost of travel and food for supporters from the atolls. Many have made their own arrangements for accommodation with family members, while others will be sleeping on the boats, the coalition has said.
Opposition leaders had been traveling across the country in recent weeks canvassing for support.
The coalition has meanwhile launched a website for the May Day protest and introduced a hashtag for social media – #EkehFaheh15 – referring to the date of the protest.
MDP supporter Mariyam Zulfa, 42, who lives in Malé says she will attend the protests with her family, “but our leaders must make sure we end the government’s tyranny this time.”
The police held separate meetings with members of the coalition, the MDP, the Jumhooree Party and the religious conservative Adhaalath Party on Tuesday and Wednesday to raise concerns over the threat of violence.
Opposition leaders including Adhaalath’s president Sheikh Imran Abdulla have told the police that the demonstration will remain peaceful.
But the Maldives Police Services at press conference this evening said intelligence reports indicate opposition supporters are planning to attack the residences of government officials and are sharpening iron rods and pipes and gathering lead balls to attack security forces.
The police say they will allow peaceful protests to proceed, but said the army and the police are ready to crack down on any violence.
The police’s riot control exercises continued in Malé today with officers carrying guns practicing arrest procedures. Hundreds of officers also ran through Malé’s streets at noon.
Minivan News journalists observed several police officers tearing up May Day posters from the walls of Malé residences today.
Meanwhile, president Abdulla Yameen said he had appointed the tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb as his representative to speak with Adhaalath Party’s Sheikh Imran to jeers and laughter at a government function last night.
“I find Imran’s work to be obsolete,” he said and called on Adhaalath Party members to join the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).
Imran has called on the president to dismiss Adeeb who he accuses of corruption and illicit connections with gangs.
Referring to Imran, Adeeb said last night: “hypocritical scholars will be exposed at the end of the times.”
The PPM also issued a statement today dismissing rumors that PPM leader and former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is involved in the May Day protest. Gayoom is president Yameen’s half-brother.
(0)Dislikes
(0)
