Tag: maldives

Missing journalist’s family concerned over slow progress in search

Missing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla’s family has expressed concern over slow progress in the Maldives Police Service’s three-week long search.

The police released a statement on Thursday night claiming it had questioned 318 individuals, interrogated 111, searched 139 locations in Malé’s suburb island Hulhumalé and searched 267,197.5 square meters of ocean.

“These are just statistics. We want to find him. We want the police to tell us if they have leads, if there is progress,” Rilwan’s brother Moosa Rilwan told Minivan News today.

“We want to know what the results of these extensive searches are. It’s been a month, my family and I fear for his life,” Moosa said.

Rilwan was last seen boarding the Hulhumalé ferry on August 8 at 12:55am. Evidence gathered by Minivan News suggests Rilwan was abducted.

Abduction

Eyewitnesses told Minivan News they saw a man being forced into a car at knifepoint in front of Rilwan’s apartment building at the time he is expected to have reached his house. The abductors dropped the knife and eyewitnesses reported the incident to the police. Minivan News understands the police confiscated the knife from the scene.

The police have said they took in two cars and have conducted forensic tests. Samples have also been sent abroad for further tests. Meanwhile, four individuals’ passports have also been withheld in connection to the case.

According to Moosa, the police have so far refused to publicly comment on whether there is a connection between the abduction and Rilwan’s disappearance.

“If the incident is not connected to Rilwan’s disappearance, who was abducted? What did the police do on the night after the abduction was reported? Why have they taken in two cars in relation to Rilwan’s disappearance?” Moosa questioned.

“Why have the police withheld passports? Have they been questioned? Are the police not afraid these men may go into hiding in the country?”

The police’s statement raises more questions than answers, he added.

Extensive search

According to the police, a specialist crime command team consisting of police officers from the intelligence department, forensics department, marine police specialist operations and divisional operations are working around the clock on the case.

The team is analysing 719 hours of CCTV footage from 101 cameras at 48 locations along the route Rilwan is believed to have traveled in Malé on the night of his disappearance.

Police are also investigating 638,000 cellphone numbers that have hit cell towers along the same route, the statement said.

Some 18 vessels in Hulhumalé lagoon including Safari boats, all of the beach area and empty lots in Hulhumalé, eight houses in Malé’s, four locations and the waste dump in Malé’s second suburb island Villingili were also searched, the police said.

Rilwan’s family will continue to support the police in the search, Moosa said.

The Human Rights Commission has also released a statement noting that it had yet to be updated on the authorities’ attempts to locate the missing journalist, despite having made a request for information more than two weeks ago.

Pressure up

An Avaaz petition has been launched calling on the Maldives government to expedite the search to find Rilwan and to guarantee a safe environment for all journalists, human rights defenders and bloggers in the Maldives.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party has tabled the case with the People’s Majlis Security Services or 241 committee.

Minivan News understands Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer, Commissioner of Police Hussein Waheed and Minister of Defense and National Security Mohamed Nazim were summoned to the confidential committee hearing on Thursday.

Rilwan’s friends and family have also gathered 5000 signatures on a Majlis petition calling on the parliament to press for a thorough and speedy investigation.

The family has offered MVR200,000 (US$ 12,945) for any information on Riwlan’s whereabouts.

Maldives media have also called for a speedy investigation in a joint statement and have met with the Commissioner of Police, MPs from the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives and MDP, Prosecutor General and Majlis Speaker Abdulla Maseeh regarding the case.

International organisations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Committee to Project Journalists (CPJ) and the UNHCR, have expressed concern over Rilwan’s disappearance.

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Family of Rilwan submit petition with 5000 signatures to People’s Majlis

The family of missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla have submitted a petition calling for the Majlis’s national security committee to find answers to questions regarding his disappearance 27 days ago.

“We have submitted the petition with over 5000 signatures and we hope we will get the support from the members of all parties in our quest to find our brother,”

Today’s petition asked the national security committee to request relevant authorities to give answers to questions which “arose due to the negligence of the Maldives Police Services in searching for Rilwan.”

Additionally, the Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN) has today written an open letter (Dhivehi) to the Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed, expressing its own concerns about the investigation and requesting a public response.

MDN’s letter noted that the police service “has a responsibility to reveal information regarding the case in a manner which will bring satisfaction to the concerned public, to a level where you do not lose the trust that the public holds in you.”

The Human Rights Commission has already released a statement noting that it had yet to be updated on the authorities’ attempts to locate the missing journalist, having made a request for information more than two weeks ago.

MDN’s letter requested information on the following points:

– Whether the reported confiscation of a vehicle and orders for a number of arrests are related to witness reports of a man being forced into a car outside Rilwan’s home just minutes after his last confirmed sighting.

– The apparent failure of police to follow the norms of procedure in foreign countries which includes making public photos of the victim and providing a contact for the public to call with information regarding the person

– Potential cooperation between police and friends and family of Rilwan who have continued activities to raise awareness of the disappearance, including communication regarding activities that could hinder investigations.

The unresolved questions in the family’s petition also included whether standard procedures were being followed and whether links with a reported abduction had been properly explored.

“These are also matters on which state institutions have so far conducted no work in order to reach the truth,” read the petition submitted this morning.

Prior to the petition, Rilwan’s family had presented MPs with a letter last week requesting their help in the search.

“Hear our plea. Please. I’m calling on all leaders. We are going to all leaders in the Maldives. We are telling them please calm our hearts. For Allah’s sake, please tell us what has happened to our son,” Rilwan’s mother, Aminath Easa, pleaded with authorities.

In response to a letter from Easa earlier this week, the campaign to find Rilwan continued yesterday as hundreds of people affected by violent crime gathered at Malé City Hall to call for justice.

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HRCM uncertain as to state’s actions in Rilwan case

The Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) has again suggested that authorities are not doing enough in the search for missing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla.

After seeking updates on the case from both the the foreign minister and attorney general on August 19, the HRCM noted that it had not seen “any further efforts from the state following the appeal”.

“The commission brought Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla’s case to the attention of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of expression through the UN’s special procedures, and the commission has been monitoring the state’s actions in the case of [Rilwan’s] disappearance,” read today’s statement.

Today’s statement said that HCRM members had met with police on August 28, urging them to use all resources to expedite their investigation.

Before working for Minivan News, Rilwan had been an employee of the HRCM between 2010 and 2012.

Calls to speed up the search for Rilwan – last seen on the Malé-Hulhumalé ferry in the early hours of August 8 – have been echoed by numerous international groups, including the UN and Reporters Without Borders.

Neighbours reported seeing a man fitting Rilwan’s description being forced into a vehicle outside his apartment at around 2am on August 8.

The most recent update from police came last week when Police Commissioner Hussain Waheed explained that 80 statements had been taken after questioning nearly 200 people.

Waheed also explained that multiple locations around the capital had been searched, including the lagoon around Hulhumalé, while nearly 300 hours of CCTV were being analysed.

Minivan News also learned last week that the passports of four men were being held in relation to the disappearance.

Working ceaselessly

“As it has been 26 days since Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla disappeared without a trace, the commission has been ceaselessly doing all it can,” read today’s HRCM statement.

Friends and family of Rilwan, also known to his twitter followers as moyameehaa, have also been campaigning tirelessly for greater action on the part of authorities.

Rilwan’s mother has urged all families of victims of violent crime to work together to ensure justice, calling for meeting to be held for all those affected by such incidents in Malé City Hall tonight at 9pm.

“It is the Maldives Police Services tasked with protecting our children and us. It is the courts tasked with ensuring justice for us in times of injustice,” said Aminath Easa in an open letter this week.

“However, we have to work together to expedite their services and hold them accountable,” she continued.

After demonstrating against the People’s Majlis’ failure to adequately address the issue, campaigners have collected over 4000 signatures on a petition calling on relevant authorities to provide answers to question that remain outstanding due to perceived police negligence.

Media groups have also provided a united front in the search for Rilwan, coordinating closely with campaigners to raise awareness of the disappearance.

Additionally, journalists representing all private outlets have jointly expressed grave concern over what they believe to have been an abduction, calling for an end to the persistent intimidation of the press.

Raajje TV’s staff yesterday donned black and blurred presenter’s faces on news segments regarding the disappearance as a show of support for the #findmoyameehaa campaign

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Nine persons apply for vacant High Court judge post

Nine persons – six males and three females – have applied for the vacant post of Judge on the High Court bench.

The applicants are UNDP Resident Representative Aishath Rizna, Family Court Head Judge Hassan Saeed, Hulhumalé Court Marriage Registrar Hassan Ali, Criminal Court Judges Abdulla Didi, Muhuthaz Fahmy, and Civil Court Judges Aishath Sujoon, Mariyam Nihaayath, Hussain Mazeed, Abdulla Jameel Moosa.

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Journalist Haseen denies charges of obstructing police duty

Channel News Maldives (CNM) journalist Abdulla Haseen has denied charges raised against him of working with political figures to obstruct police duties.

At a hearing held at the Criminal Court today, Haseen is reported in local media as having said that he had attended political rallies only as a journalist with the intention of covering them for news pieces.

Haseen is accused of having removed police barricades and of speaking to police officers in obscene language along with Abdulla Idrees of Gulfaamuge in Laamu Maavah and former opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor.

The next hearing of the case has been scheduled to be held on September 28.

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Raajje TV blurs news segment on missing journalist in solidarity

Expressing solidarity with missing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan, opposition aligned broadcaster Raajje TV’s staff have today donned black and blurred presenter’s faces on news segments regarding the disappearance.

Explaining the decision, Raajje TV said, “Rilwan has been disappeared, but we will not let it be forgotten for one moment.”

The station said it will continue with focusing out on news segments regarding Rilwan until facts of his disappearance are clear.

“Raajje TV’s main focus at the moment is to find Rilwan alive. We hope to see Rilwan back in journalism as soon as possible,” the station said in a statement today.

Raajje TV itself has suffered numerous attacks over the past two years, including vandalism of equipment and an arson attack that destroyed its offices and equipment. The station’s News Head Ibrahim ‘Asward’ Waheed also survived a near fatal assault in February 2012.

Expressing empathy with Rilwan’s family, Raajje TV called on the government, law enforcement agencies, media, civil society organizations and the public to step up efforts to find Rilwan.

“A Maldivian and a member of the Maldivian media family has been abducted and disappeared. Raajje TV believes a thorough investigation must be conducted and facts must be made known in this case,” the station said.

The Maldives Police Services have revealed very little information on the case. The passports of four individuals have reportedly been held over the case.

The station’s news site www.raajje.mv has also hosted a banner counting the days since Rilwan’s disappearance.

Minivan News Managing Editor Daniel Bosley thanked Raajje TV for its “incredible coverage.”

“It has been of great comfort during these difficult weeks to know that we have the support of others in the media community. We will continue to draw strength from the support of Raajje TV and other journalists as we continue the campaign to find Rilwan.”

Today marks the 25th day since Rilwan’s disappearance. Evidence gathered by Minivan News suggests Rilwan was abducted. Eyewitnesses said they saw a man being forced into a car at knifepoint infront of Rilwan’s apartment building on the night he disappeared.

Rilwan’s family and friends have meanwhile launched an extensive campaign to pressure government, including petitions, meeting state agencies, and raising public awareness on the issue.

Rilwan’s mother, Aminath Easa, 67, has also urged all families of victims of violent crime to work together to ensure justice.A meeting of families has been called for Wednesday September 3, at 9pm in Malé City Hall.

An Avaaz petition has also been launched calling on the Maldives government to expedite the search to find Rilwan and to guarantee a safe environment for all journalists, human rights defenders and bloggers in the Maldives.

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Jihadist media claims two more Maldivians killed in Syria

Online Jihadist group Bilad Al Sham Media (BASM) have claimed two more Maldivians have been killed in the Syrian civil war.

“Martyred brothers in the yesterdays operation include Abu Dujana Maldifi, Abu Ibrahim Maldifi and Abu Ukasha Indonesi,” read a post on the BASM facebook page today.

The latest reports follow similar stories in May when two Maldivians – who had taken the names of Abu Nuh and Abu Turab – were said to have been killed after travelling to Syria for jihad

While the group claims that Abu Dujana was the founder and editor of the BASM page, the group has not provided any information regarding his real identity, stating that this omission was at the request of his mother.

Local media has, however, identified Abu Dujana as Yameen Naeem of Georgia in the Maafannu ward of the capital Malé. It is reported that the man, in his early twenties, travelled to Syria after studying in Egypt.

BASM – which Minivan News has learned has members situated in both Syria and the Maldives – has previously claimed that its members arrive in Syria from numerous points of destinations, and that many were students.

The group has previously criticised incumbent President Abdulla Yameen, describing his presidential win as “a victory for Jahiliyya [ignorance] over Jahiliyya” and has condemned the Maldives National Defence Force as “fighters in the devil’s path”.

While other senior figures in the government refused to take a definitive stance on the issue of Jihad, Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed in July urged Maldivians to refrain from participating in foreign wars.

“Islamic jihad is that waged with sincerity, in the name of Allah, in defense of religion and nation, behind a designated Muslim leader, and against enemies of Islam and nation,” Shaheem said, adding that fighting between two Muslim groups cannot be described as jihad.

Shaheem said Maldivian militants who go abroad must not be punished, but be rehabilitated and informed of religious teachings.

Admitting to growing radicalisation in the Maldives, Shaheem said the media and scholars must help the government in its effort to educate the public.

Radicalisation begins with praying in separate communities, refusing to register marriages at court, and declaring other Muslims infidels, Shaheem said.

The rise of religious radicals within the Maldives has been noted by numerous group both locally and internationally.

While the Maldivian Democratic Party has recently accused security services of fostering radical elements – a claim rejected by authorities, the then acting prosecutor general Hussein Shameem called for the state to take the issue more seriously.

Last week Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon again spoke in support of moderate Islam, condemning the atrocities of ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

The US State Department’s 2013 country report on terrorism noted that local laws “severely limit” the prosecution of cases associated with violent extremism. Then acting prosecutor general Hussein Shameem in March called for the state to take the issue more seriously.

The US expressed growing concern since 2010 “about the activities of a small number of local violent extremists involved with transnational terrorist groups”.

“There has been particular concern that young Maldivians, including those within the penal system, may be at risk of becoming radicalized and joining violent Islamist extremist groups. Links have been made between Maldivians and violent extremists throughout the world,” the report stated.

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Missing journalist’s mother calls on families of violent crime victims to unite for justice

Missing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla’s mother has urged all families of victims of violent crime to work together to ensure justice.

In an emotional letter today, Aminath Easa, 67, appealed to mothers of victims to hold the Maldives ailing justice system and law enforcement agencies accountable.

A meeting of families has been called for Wednesday September 3, at 9pm in Malé City Hall.

“The Maldives first saw knife attacks, then murders. My son’s disappearance signals the start of a culture of disappearing people. Your child has been a victim of knife attacks and murder attempts. Have you received justice? Let us, mothers, today stand together for justice,” she said.

“Today my son has disappeared. I do not know whose child will disappear next. It is the Maldives Police Services tasked with protecting our children and us. It is the courts tasked with ensuring justice for us in times of injustice. However, we have to work together to expedite their services and hold them accountable. My humble appeal to you mothers is to join me in this task, for your rights and the rights of your children.”

Today marks the 24th day since Rilwan’s disappearance. Evidence gathered by Minivan News suggests Rilwan was abducted. Eyewitnesses said they saw a man being forced into a car at knifepoint infront of Rilwan’s apartment building on the night he disappeared.

The Maldives Police Services have revealed very little information on the case. The passports of four individuals have  reportedly been held over the case.

Minister of Defense and National Security Mohamed Nazim said on Saturday he was hopeful of Rilwan’s safe return.

“I want to inform you, the Maldives government is doing all necessary, and I have hope, God willing, that Ahmed Rilwan will be found,” he said.

Rilwan’s family and friends have meanwhile launched an extensive campaign to pressure government, including petitions, meeting state agencies, and raising public awareness on the issue.

Signatures are being gathered on a petition urging the People’s Majlis national security committee to pressure the police for a thorough investigation. The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party had lodged the case with the committee on August 18.

An Avaaz petition has also been launched today calling on the Maldives government to expedite the search to find Rilwan and to guarantee a safe environment for all journalists, human rights defenders and bloggers in the Maldives.

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) have now asked the People’s Majlis to convene an emergency meeting of the security services or 241 committee. The party has also lodged the case with the government oversight committee.

On August 19, the MDP also sponsored an emergency motion calling on law enforcement agencies to step up efforts to find Rilwan. The motion was accepted with 51 votes in favor, but there has been no progress on the motion yet.

Full text of Aminath Easa’s letter:

From a mother to a mother,

I remember very well the day my son Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla was born. I can still hear his first cries. His first smile is ingrained in my heart. I can still see him start to crawl and start to walk before my eyes. I can still feel him holding tight onto my fingers as if it were yesterday. I still remember his first day of school. As a boy, he was never one to argue with me over any disputes. At the most, he would leave the house. When he returned, he would be quiet and would carry on as if nothing has happened.

My son, Rilwan, pays attention to religion. He prays, he fasts and he recites the Qur’an. He asks questions over religion and worldly affairs. He is a quiet and mild mannered young man. A brother who keeps up good relations with his family. A son who participates in his father’s work. An uncle who brings happiness to his nieces and nephews. He is my beloved son who is always ready to help me.

You mothers would share the same feelings I have for my son. I love my son Rilwan deeply, just as you do your children. No mother would wish for her child to disappear without a trace. In the past 24 days, all I have heard is that Rilwan may have been forced into a car in the early hours of the morning. That a knife was seen at the scene. That some parties were questioned. If it were your child who has been disappeared, would you not move heaven and earth to find him? Would you not go begging to all to find him? Would you not attempt to secure justice?

The Maldives first saw knife attacks, then murders. My son’s disappearance signals the start of a culture of disappearing people. Your child has been a victim of knife attacks and murder attempts. Have you received justice? Let us, mothers, today stand together for justice.

Today my son has disappeared. I do not know whose child will disappear next. It is the Maldives Police Services tasked with protecting our children and us. It is the courts tasked with ensuring justice for us in times of injustice. However, we have to work together to expedite their services and hold them accountable. My humble appeal to you mothers is to join me in this task, for your rights and the rights of your children.

The first meeting of the families of victims of disappearance, knife attacks and murder attempts will be held on September 3, Wednesday at 9:00 pm at the Malé City Hall. I request you to join me and participate in this undertaking.

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Government implements new escaped prisoner regulation

The government yesterday started implementing a new regulation on procedures regarding escaped inmates.

The regulation was made in compliance with Article 144 of the Prisons and Parole Act, 2013.

The regulation gives the authority to the director of prisons to declare that an inmate has escaped from detention, failed to return from temporary release, or taken flight while on medical release.

The new regulation obliges the most senior officer in-charge of the prison security to inform the director of prisons immediately if an inmate escapes or attempts to escape. The director must then inform the Commissioner of Prisons before submitting a detailed incident report within 24 hours.

Correctional services are subsequently obliged to inform police with a written document and to publish the escaped inmate’s picture on the media as well as informing the family of the escape.

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