Democracy imperilled in the Maldives: OpenDemocracy

The United States and much of the international community has understandably been focused on increasingly violent conflict in Syria. However, attention also needs to be given to the Muslim people of this Asian nation and their commitment to the power of nonviolent action, writes Stephen Zunes for OpenDemocracy.

Well before the launch of the Arab Spring, the people of the Maldives, a Muslim nation located on a tropical archipelago in the Indian Ocean, were engaged in widespread nonviolent resistance against the 30-year reign of the corrupt and autocratic president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. The growing civil insurrection forced the dictator to finally allow for free elections in October 2008, which he lost.

This triumph for democracy is now threatened as a result of a coup last month led by allies of the former dictator and hardline Islamists.

When the democratic opposition leader and former political prisoner Mohamed Nasheed assumed the presidency slightly over three years ago, he was faced with the difficult task of repairing the country’s damaged social fabric from decades of misrule. While luxury resorts had mushroomed on many of the Maldives’ remote islands, most of the population suffered in poverty. Indeed, Gayoom’s legacy is one of shattered communities, destitution, crime, and widespread drug abuse.

Despite their best efforts, Nasheed and his democratic allies were hampered by a court system still dominated by corrupt judges handpicked by the former dictator as well as violent protests by Islamists angered at the democratic government’s moderate social policies. Meanwhile, despite struggles at home, Nasheed took global leadership in pushing for concrete international action on climate change, through which rising sea levels threaten his nation’s very existence.

Nasheed’s increasingly bold and popular efforts against the vestiges of the Gayoom dictatorship, however, threatened powerful interests. On February 7, police and other security forces with links to the old regime, in alliance with Vice-President Mohammed Waheed, forced President Nasheed to sign a letter of resignation. Subsequent evidence leaves little doubt that Nasheed was accurate in describing it as a coup d’etat.

Much to the dismay of the pro-democracy forces, the US State Department initially recognized the sworn-in vice president as representing the legitimate government, though the Obama administration soon backed away from its recognition in the wake of a public outcry, particularly as evidence of the actual circumstances of Nasheed’s departure became apparent.

Over the past month, pro-democracy demonstrators have once again taken to the streets as they had under Gayoom’s rule. Once again, they are being met with brutal repression. In the face of growing protests, the junta has invited Nasheed and his party to join the new government as a junior partner in a coalition dominated by Waheed and supporters of the former dictatorship.

The United States has been pressuring the ousted president to accept the junta’s offer. However, Nasheed – confident that the majority of Maldivians support democracy and will return him to office – has instead called for early elections as the only means of stabilising the country.

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Comment: Maldives’ tale of withering democracy

The island archipelago that once produced a champion of democracy today sadly heads towards a dark doom.

A police mutiny, sponsored by the surviving elements of the past dictatorship that the country had rid itself through the ballot box just washed off everything. Darkness looms within the country, and the network of instilling fear amongst the ordinary by the elites is back on operation. Brutality and tear gas has now seemed to have become the motto of the police that once were entrusted to protect and serve.

It was frustrating to see how poorly the international community reacted to the mutiny that deposed a democratically elected president, who once they admired as a champion of democracy. Their skills of judgment were far lower than what was expected. They had not grasped what had really been going on even when almost every foreign journalist who worked their way into the capital had grasped themselves that it was coup after their investigations.

The international community had made it very clear on the fact that they don’t give a damn about the democracy of this country as long as their foreign investment remains safe and secure. The US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Robert Blake, was one of the first followed by the India and others. Nevertheless, It is always useless to cry over spilt milk and democracy will never come by relying ourselves for what the international community would say. They’ve said it loud and clear, “We don’t give a damn.”

Nasheed, the deposed president, wasted no time when he announced that he had been forced out of office the following day. Supporters of Nasheed and pro democracy movement came out loud, holding a peaceful demonstration that eventually turned out to be one of the most brutal and damaging confrontations that this country has ever seen.

The police in riot gear beat the hell out of the protesters who stood up against the coup, showing not even an ounce of mercy. Their anger and frustration towards Nasheed blinded them from limits of torture which saw one of the largest and most brutal human rights violations that has taken place in the country. Not only were the protesters beaten up, but Nasheed and with senior officials of his government and several parliamentarians were not spared.

Until today, these events remained unspoken, uninvestigated and unseen in the eyes of the country’s legal system. Dr Waheed, who came into power after the events of February 7, formed a commission to impartially investigate the issue but then again, nominated Gayyoom regime’s Defense Minister Ismail Shafeeu, the minister who remained silent when two custodial deaths took place during his tenure as the minister to chair the three member commission.

Questions of credibility and impartiality of this commission remains in doubt and more over becoming an exact replica of what has become of the Sri Lanka’s ‘Lessons learnt and Reconciliation Commission’.

Backed by thousands, Nasheed remains determined on his course for justice but the course of his success still remains undetermined. Of course, Nasheed has made blunders during his time of presidency, controversial and questionable decisions were made. But if unwise policy decisions and controversies of a president mean the police and the military can force him out of office, what is the purpose of carrying the burden to hold elections to elect a president every five years. What is the purpose of a constitution or a civilised system of governance here?

Where were the mouths of those that barked to uphold the constitution for 22 nights consecutively, when the police and the military brutally beat down several protesters? Or was it constitutional to hijack the state broadcasting service and force the staff to patch through the feed of a private TV channel to the State TV? When did that ever become constitutional to advertise a private entity on the state TV in such a fashion?

The answer is clear enough. This was nothing but a dirty political game that was played down in the name of patriotism and religion. Of course, Dr Hassan Saeed, the Special Adviser of the current President Waheed, is right: this is a new kind of coup. This opens a whole new area of study in the subject political science, a fair Maldivian contribution indeed.

But our ‘fair contribution’ has taken the country back to square one. The regime of Gayyoom is almost back to being at the height of its power. Freedom of assembly is in question. Police brutality that once remained curbed and halted is back. Human rights violations are being ignored. The network of threatening those that speak and stand up against the government is slowly picking up its pace.

Elements that belonged to the three decade-long Gayoom’s dictatorship are slowly making their way to the top seats of the government. Latest edition was his son and his daughter. A government that was elected by the people for the manifesto and the policy plans of Nasheed’s MDP is today taken over by these rogue elements bringing back the dark Gayoom days.

Those that are lavishly enjoying the sweet nectar of the presidency and the public finance of this state always knew it; they would never make their way to where they are right now through the ballot box.

Waheed, the successor of Nasheed, remains in the country’s top office living his lifelong dream of becoming the president while Nasheed continues to fight his war of legitimacy, calling for an early election. The future of where we are headed remains under question.

All comment pieces are the sole view of the author and do not reflect the editorial policy of Minivan News. If you would like to write an opinion piece, please send proposals to [email protected]

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India engaged in diplomatic fire-fighting as Maldives instability grows: Eurasia

Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai’s visit to the Maldives was continuance of diplomatic fire-fighting where India has actually messed up big time, writes Rajeev Sharma for the Eurasia Review.

The official line taken by the Government of India is expectedly much different. The Ministry of External Affairs issued a press release on February 29 claiming that the representatives of all parties who met Mathai, individually and collectively, expressed the view that India had played “a very useful role” in taking the process forward as a facilitator and friend of the Maldivian people.

This has to be taken with a pinch of salt as India continued to be a fence sitter as the then President Mohammed Nasheed committed errors of judgment one after another and sought Indian help when he was neck deep in trouble. Maldives is the second SAARC country which has witnessed fall of President after he took on the judiciary of his country. The previous example was that of Pakistan where President Pervez Musharraf had to bow out of office after he unsuccessfully locked horns with Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Choudhry. But Maldives is not Pakistan. Unlike in Pakistan India could have, and should have, played a more pro-active role in Maldives and nipped the crisis in the bud which India failed to do.

The MEA has claimed that Mathai’s Male visit threw up a broad measure of agreement with all stakeholders. All parties agreed to continue dialogue on the way forward including possible amendment to the Constitution and enactment of legislation for institutional reforms. All Parties recognized the need to undertake the necessary amendments and legislation within a quick timeframe in the People’s Majlis. Maldives’s new President Mohammed Waheed Hassan, in his concluding meeting with Mathai, reiterated appreciation for India’s assistance and support to the reconciliation process and expressed further potential outcome of the continued consultations while agreeing that India would continue its role of facilitator.

But the ticklish situation remains as Nasheed continues to sulk and has refused to join the national government. Though Waheed has agreed on the need for early elections and continue further consultations among all major parties under the rubrique of All Party Consultative Committee (APCC), no fresh dates of elections have been announced. Waheed does not seem to be in a tearing hurry to holding fresh polls. Nasheed demonstrated his power and his intentions on March 1 when his supporters squatted in front of Majlis – Maldives’ Parliament – and prevented President Waheed from opening Parliament. The incident showed that Maldives’ political instability is going to exacerbate. That all parties have agreed to look at India as a ‘facilitator’ in bringing about national reconciliation has endowed a big responsibility on New Delhi. It is also a key opportunity for India which it cannot afford to whittle away. But the Indian path is laden with more of thorns and less of roses.

A delegation of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) that visited Maldives on February 17 recommended that early elections should be held in the country and preferably within this year itself. CMAG had urged President Waheed to commence an immediate dialogue without preconditions. Having come in the wake of the visit of the Indian Foreign Secretary and the subsequent roadmap that President Waheed’s Office itself had made public, it was expected that discussions would be held among the principal political players in this regard and dates would be firmed up at the earliest. However, this does not appear to be happening.

At a rally organised by the “December 23 Coalition” on February 24, an alliance of religious NGOs and political parties led by former President M A Gayoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), President Waheed adopted a strident position on the issue. He declared that before declaration of a date for the elections, former President Nasheed should first establish the illegitimacy of the present Government. Earlier, Waheed had reacted to the suggestions of the CMAG by appointing his own Commission of Enquiry to go into the circumstances leading to transfer of power (events from January 14 to February 8).

The Commission is headed by Ismail Shafeeu, Minister of Defense and National Security in Gayoom’s regime. He had also said that the CMAG’s recommendations for international participation in such an inquiry were for the Commission to consider. In view of the volte face by President Waheed on the assurances given to the CMAG, the Commonwealth and foreign office as well as the international community is seriously considering sending observers to Male in order to oversee a smooth return to democracy by the convening of early elections. The international initiative has become urgent in view of what happened in Male on March 1 when the Majlis could not begin its scheduled session due to large-scale protests from Nasheed’s supporters.

India cannot afford to lower its guard in Maldives at a time when China has raised its strategic sweepstakes in this country and Pakistan too has become active. The Wahabi tremors that are already being felt in Maldives have accentuated the situation further. Any diplomatic blunder by India vis a vis Maldives will prove to be costly. If India were to display any diplomatic shortsightedness in Maldives, the results would be catastrophic. This will downsize India in its strategic backyard which is strategically located near busy, pirate-infested shipping lanes.

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Democracy must continue; “no return to autocratic rule”: UK High Commissioner

UK High Commissioner to the Maldives and Sri Lanka, John Rankin, has emphasised that democracy must continue in the Maldives, “and [there must be] no return to the autocratic rule that has been in existance prior to 2008.”

In his regular “Ask the High Commissioner” interview, Rankin said the UK had called on “all parties to exercise good faith to try to find a way throgugh the current problems and consensus for the way forward.”

“The UK recongises states, not governments,” he explained. “We made it very clear that it was for the government of the Maldives to establish democratic legitimacy both with its own people and the international community.”

Rankin said the UK backed the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG)’s call for early elections, and for agreement as to the constitutional changes required for that to happen.

“We have also joined calls for an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the transfer of power,” Rankin said.

“We called for calm in the country and for demonstrations to be peaceful, and for the police to exercise maximum restraint.”

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Security forces use water cannon on MDP women’s sit-down protest

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and police used a salt water cannons to break up a gathering of nearly 100 female supporters of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) outside President Office on Tuesday afternoon.

The women marched to the President Office around 3:15pm to deliver a set of letters requesting President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan to resign, while the rest of the female demonstrators sat down outside the office holding boards bearing slogans including “Where is my vote?” and “Justice now”.

The women from all ages continued to call for President Waheed’s resignation while the police and MNDF on the scene ordered the women to leave the area.

Video footage circulating over the social media then show that the police aimed a high-pressure salt water cannon at the crowd for at least five minutes, but this did little to deter the women, who were then physically picked up by policewomen. Others were pushed back by policemen armed with shields.

Several eye witnesses alleged to Minivan News that “some policeman groped the female demonstrators, tore their clothes and used foul language” during the removal.

“Two women’s clothes were torn from the shoulders when the policemen tried to grab them. One woman’s veil was taken off and I saw her shouting at the police,” one of the demonstrator told Minivan News over the phone.

Another eye witness reported seeing a woman who was “dragged by her feet” after she refused to leave. “The women tried to shove him off and cover her body because her blouse was torn, but the policeman grabbed her hands,” the source claimed.

Several women were seeing resisting arrest while the policewomen attempted to grab some of the women hosed down by the salt water. Although, the crowds were dispersed from the President Office, the women continued to voice their discontent on the nearby streets until nightfall.

Police media official, Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam, told Minivan  News that female protesters forcibly crossed the police cordons and  “intimidated the police”.

Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz at a press conference yesterday had vowed that police would “become feared by the most dreaded criminals”.

“[The women] forcibly crossed into the area near the President Office after intimidating the police guards at the cordon blocking the area. They were ordered to leave the area repeatedly before the police used force to remove them,” Shiyam said.

Responding to allegations that police used excessive force to subdue the gathering, Shiyam said “If anyone has any complaints they can follow the due process and file a complaint.”

“What we used was water. It is the least brutal force used to disperse a gathering,” he further added.

Speaking to Minivan News today, former Tourism Minister Dr Mariyam Zulfa said that before the protest outside the President Office nearly 500 female MDP supporters went to the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) to file a complaint over the police brutality.

She claimed the commission has so far failed to take any action.

“As we were coming back some went to the President Office to deliver letters to request Waheed  resign. So while they did that, we sat down to peacefully protest. However, almost immediately police came and used a high pressure water hose,” said Dr  Zulfa, who was also at the sit-down demonstration.

“There is no way to end this brutality,” she said. “The international community has failed to see this day after day. Anywhere else in the world this would be a shameless military coup.”

Meanwhile, later in the evening HRCM had issued  a press statement condemning the police for using “excessive force” against the women while controlling today’s demonstration.

The commission also urged the police to to respect the people  right to peaceful demonstration and asked them to refrain from any actions that will harm the dignity of women.

Women have been at the front line in MDP’s political movement to bring early elections, since the party’s candidate, former President Mohamed Nasheed was deposed in what the party calls a bloodless coup.

Recently, Amnesty International has also condemned attacks on a group of MDP women supporters in Addu Atoll by the security forces, after obtaining testimonies from victims of a crackdown on demonstrators at a rally during the recent visit to the MDP stronghold by new President.

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Police will become “feared by the most dreaded criminals”: Commissioner Riyaz

Commissioner of Police Abdullah Riyaz has outlined the Maldives Police Service (MPS)’s new operational priorities for 2012, and introduced newly appointed Deputy Commissioner of Police Hussein Waheed.

At a press conference yesterday, Riyaz said the new priorities of the police included prevention of drug trafficking, prevention of organised and violent crimes, road safety monitoring and counter-terrorism.

Riyaz said he would try to make the police into an institution “feared by the most dreaded criminals”.

“We will try our best to identify the criminals and ensure they are being tried for their charges with proper evidence,” he said.

Riyaz also said that political parties were accusing the police of “baseless accusations” and advised them to refrain from doing so.

“We would welcome peaceful protests. We will cooperate as well but when protesters resort to violence, damaging private and public property, the police will have to disperse the crowds. We are here to maintain the peace and order of the country,” he said.

“The police are the authorities that have to control demonstrations and questions are always asked about the way protests and demonstrations are controlled, especially by those on the receiving end,” he said.

He called upon parliament to make a law on protesting so that it would be a lot easier for the police to perform their duties under such a law.

Riyaz also highlighted the importance of passing of laws that were vital for the police work: “We ask parliament to pass the bills concerning the duties of the police such as an Evidence Act, Criminal Procedure Act and the Penal Code,” he said. Those bills have stalled at committee stage, in some cases for over a year.

Riyaz said that police were given the full operational independence and insisted that “none of the political figures or the government are trying to influence the police institution.”

He also said that he was trying to assign police officers to the islands after the February 8 arson attacks on police buildings, following a violent police crackdown on demonstrators in Male’.

Riyaz also said it was better if the Human Rights Commission (HRCM) and Police Intergrity Commission (PIC) investigated the events that unfolded on February 8.

Riyaz brushed off all the allegations that some police had come out to control the protests after consuming alchohol as “baseless nonsense”, and said that police were being linked to alcohol because they had been investigating a lot of alcohol cases.

Riyaz was Assistant Commissioner under Nasheed’s government prior to his dismissal in 2010. Asked about the legality of the appointment of a civilian to the post of Commissioner of Police – position usually given to ranked officers – Riyaz said that he had been appointed according to the rules under the police act.

“I was discharged from my duties while I was an assistant commissioner. After the change of government, I was asked to join the police force as they said the government required my services and had requested me to join,” he said Riyaz.

“I was reinstated to the same position I was before, and I was appointed to the Commissioner of Police afterwards,” continued Riyaz.

He praised newly appointed deputy police commissioner Waheed, stating that the Waheed was a “very experienced serviceman” and had done police training abroad. Riyaz assured that he would get full support from Waheed and that under their leadership, the police would “win the people’s trust.”

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Waheed, said that he will give full support to the commissioner and assured that he would remain committed and loyal.

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Protesters clash with police near defence minister’s house

Four people have been arrested following violent clashes with police near the house of Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim on Sunday night.

At around 12:45am a group of protesters left the ongoing Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) demonstration at the tsunami monument and headed towards Republic Square.

Police had blocked most routes to the republican square blocked with barricades and officers with riot shields by the time demonstrators arrived.

A group of 200 protesters began gathering near the Velaanaage office building and a further group of 150 near Traders Hotel, although there was no indication of violence. More protesters began to gather against police barricades near the coastguard building.

Around 1:15 am protesters reportedly headed towards Chaandhanee Magu and Orchid Magu Junction near the Reefside Shop. When Minivan News arrived police and MNDF had blocked the route to Republican square, but no protesters showed up.

Instead, a group of protesters had gathered near the defence minister’s residence in Maafannu ward near the Nalahiya Hotel.

An eyewitness told Minivan News that police clashed with a group of youths outside the hotel.

“The violence was very bad,” he said. “Only a few police came to the area. The crowd was throwing big stones [at the police]. The squad was split and had to retreat. ”

A police vehicle at the scene was damaged and had its windscreen smashed.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said a police vehicle was damaged and 4-5 officers sustained injuries, none of them serious.

“The situation is controllable. Some people in the crowd became violent,” he said, adding that four arrests were made.

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All party peace talks halted as facilitator leaves country on “personal matter”

The India-mediated cross-party peace talks initiated by President Mohamed Waheed Hassan have been halted after the facilitator of the talks, Ahmed Mujuthaba, had to leave the Maldives for a personal matter reports local Newspaper Haveeru.

According to Haveeru, the secretariat of the peace talks released a statement stating that Mujthaba had earlier informed President Waheed that he would leave the country on March 3 on a personal matter.

The statement quoted read: “As mentioned, since Mujthaba is going out of the country, the peace talks have been temporarily halted. While the talks have been halted, the parties have had five meetings and the last meeting was held on on 29th February. Currently the parties are discussing on deciding and tabling the agenda items of the forthcoming meetings.”

Four parties in support of the support of the government: DRP, PPM, Adhaalath Party and PA – have temporarily decided to walk out of the talks after MPs of the Democratic Party (MDP) obstructed the convening of the first parliament session of this year, preventing President Waheed from giving his presidential speech.

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German medical student among those detained in police response to protest

Police arrested 10 people last night following a protest near the main Bank of Maldives (BML) branch, during which protesters tied their hands together with cable ties and demanded they be arrested.

“The marchers, who had symbolically bound their hands together with cable ties, were making their way to police headquarters to present themselves for arrest. However, they were blocked near the President’s Office by riot police and army personnel, and the participants – whose actions had been entirely peaceful – were violently dispersed with salt-water cannons and pepper spray,” Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said in a statement.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said police only used water cannon to disperse the crowd, and that the 10 were arrested for breaching the police cordon near the Bank of Maldives, and going near the President’s Office.

“When police asked them to go back, they did not obey police orders,” Shiyam said.

A visiting German medical student taking photos of the protest, identified as Patrick Crilly, was also taken into police custody prior to the dispersal of the protesters. A video of the arrest showed a policeman in riot gear taking Crilly by the arm and marching him through the police barricade.

“I was told on my release form that the reason for my detention was ‘not following a police order’, but no order was issued for me to follow,” Crilly told Minivan News, following his four hour detention.

“It was very strange, I’m not sure why it happened. It was not something I had planned to experience in the Maldives,” he said.

Crilly said he was on a visa run from Sri Lanka, where he has spent the past three months working as a medical intern at Kalapitiya Hospital in Galle.

“I’m quite familiar with the Maldives – this is my sixth visit,” he said. “I have some good friends here, and I’m very attached to it. I’m not the kind of tourist to just sit on a resort beach sipping drinks. I’m of course interested in what’s going on, and trying to understand what happened. But I had no intention of getting arrested.”

Patrick Crilly

Crilly said he was walked along the road facing the sea near the BML building, and came across the crowd “of about 150 people, protesting loudly and asking the military forces why they were supporting the regime. I was interested to see what was happening, so I took pictures of the scene,” he said.

Initially the crowd had been blocked by defence personnel, he said. “But then a squad of police arrived and took over the scene, and the mood changed. I was in the second row from the front taking pictures, and within 3-4 minutes I was taken away. I don’t know if there was a order in Dhivehi, nobody was speaking any English,” he said.

“I didn’t have long to figure it out, because an officer grabbed my arm and took me away. I did not resist or struggle, but I was irritated. I stayed calm and kept asking the reason why I was being taken away. I must have asked 20 times, but he ignored me. I asked him if he understood English, and he nodded.

“He took me halfway down the road to the police station where another police officer took over, and continued to ignore me, saying only that I would find out at police headquarters. I asked him how the people at police headquarters would know, because they weren’t there, but he ignored me.

“I sat in the front room of the police building for several hours, until eventually I was questioned by two officers in civilian clothes. They said I was charged with disobeying police orders and resisting arrest. I said those allegations were not true, and that no order had been issued for me to disobey.

“He seemed to acknowledge that – they were not unreasonable. He went on to ask why I was in the Maldives.

“I was asked to sit and wait for two hours with no explanation as whether I’d been arrested. Eventually it turned out that they had been writing my release form in English – it took 2.5 hours.

“Eventually I got the paper – It only had my given name, not my surname, which they seemed to have missed from my passport. It said that I had been arrested near the bank for not following police orders, and was released four hours later. It also had the details of the arresting officer.

“While I was in there I saw a steady stream of other detainees brought in, some of them screaming and kicking. I can say I smelled fear – it’s the same smell I must have smelt at least 150 times working at the hospital in Sri Lanka.

‘People were agitated, worried, and an old man was crying. One person brought in by four officers seemed really agitated, and in pain. I did not see anyone physically hurt in the police station,” Crilly said.

Expecting police to be concerned about the contents of his camera, Crilly said he had taken out the chip and put it in his pocket. “They didn’t seem interested, and I didn’t have any pictures of police violence – I was arrested before that happened. Two of my friends were pepper sprayed and if I’d been there of course I would have taken pictures of it.”

Shiyam told Minivan News that Crilly had not been arrested, but confirmed he was taken to police headquarters “where the situation was explained to him in case he was new to the Maldives. For whatever reason he did not obey the order [to leave the cordoned area]. He was not detained long.”

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