Police have sent a case concerning the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP)-led protest outside MNDF headquarters in January to the Prosecutor General’s office, following investigation.
Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said the case involved “some DRP members.” DRP Vice Presidents Umar Naseer and Ali Waheed have previously been summoned by police for questioning over the issue.
”It’s unauthorized to gather near the Maldives National Defense Force headquarters,” Shiyam said. “[The protesters] split police forces and shook the main gatesof MNDF,” he explained.
He said the case sent to the PG included “everyone in connection with the case.”
The PG’s office confirmed the case had been received but PG Ahmed Muiz would not give further details to Minivan News.
DRP leader and MP Ahmed Thasmeen Ali said the purpose of trying to prosecute DRP protesters was that they “had been trying to make the government responsible and remind them of their pledges”, and that the prosecution was an attempt “to escape from the unfulfilled pledges made to the people.”
Thasmeen noted that it was also unauthorized to gather and protest near the parliament.
”I have seen people with loudspeakers and microphones near the parliament,” Thasmeen said, ”Why isn’t the government investigating and prosecuting them?”
He said he was surprised that the senior officials of the government had told the people the government was a democracy, but were now trying to arrest protesters.
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ahmed Shifaz said that he would describe the riot as an act of ”terrorism”
Shifaz said trying to enter a country’s defense force base was “a very serious case”, and that the people involved in it should be prosecuted.
”MNDF have the authority to use weapons when that happens,” he said. ”They did not do it.”
He said whether or not someone was an MP, nobody was above the law.
”A penalty should be given for the people who were involved in the incident,” he said.
The Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) is working on the possibility of extending the Maldives’ continental shelf, reports Miadhu.
Major Mohamed Ibrahim said the Maldives had to make its submission to the UN Commission on Continental Shelf on the findings of its studies by 7 September 2010.
He said a study had already been prepared with assistance from the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Major Ibrahim said the technical team had studied the Indian Ocean and the Maldives since the 1970s.
He also noted the difficulty of finding experts to conduct the studies.
Press Secretary for the President’s Office Mohamed Zuhair has said that the government does not prevent any authorised scholar from lecturing the public on religious matters, reports Miadhu.
There had been reports of the government putting pressure on Sheikh Ilyas Hussain so he would not speak at a special ceremony hosted by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) on the anniversary of the Maldives’ conversion to Islam.
Zuhair said it was not the government’s policy to stop any licensed sheikh from speaking and they were not trying to stop Ilyas from speaking at the ceremony.
According to Miadhu, both Sheikh Ilyas and a local religious website noorulislam.net had said the government was refusing to allow Ilyas from lecturing at the ceremony.
The Adhaalath Party said there were political reasons behind the cancellation of the Sheikh’s lecture.
Licenses to deliver religious lectures are issued and cancelled by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs.
Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Majeed said his ministry had not cancelled Ilyas’ license and it had not even been proposed.
Police have summoned the Dhivehi Rayyihtunge Party’s (DRP) deputy leader MP Ali Waheed for questioning about his involvement in the protest outside the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) base and president’s residence on 28 January.
Umar Naseer, another deputy leader of the DRP, was summoned for questioning yesterday about his involvement in the protest.
Waheed notified the media he had been summoned shortly before 3pm, and said he would “face the press” afterwards.
He said he had remained silent during questions about his involvement, and about the comments he made to the media about police cooperating with the protesters.
When the police asked him whether he would like to investigate the incident in which he was hit by a stone during the protest, he replied ”no”.
After the questioning concluded Waheed said he had reported three cases to the police and asked them to investigate.
”The first thing I reported was that during the protest a person from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) – ranked higher than sergeant – used abusive language [against the protesters],” he said.
”Secondly, why that night when MPs asked for police protection were they ignored?”
Thirdly, Waheed said he asked police to investigate an MDP MP who allegedly demanded police stop handcuffing a protester outside parliament during a protest over the decentralisation bill.
Waheed added that it was “really dangerous” for armed police to use abusive language and “threaten people.” He did not mention what was said.
Press Secretary for the President Mohamed Zuhair said the government did not believe that the MNDF used abusive language while controlling the protest.
”That was really a dangerous protest by DRP,” he added.
He said it was all right for Waheed to remain silent, but said that ”the police begin such a questioning session of an investigation only after they have collected evidence and proof.”
”As the police is investigating the case we better not comment,” he added.
Spokesperson for Maldivian Democratic Part MDP Ahmed Haleem said also did not believe the MNDF had used abusive language, and furthermore claimed that when MPs asked for police protection the police provided it.
”I was watching the protest very closely,” he said.
Sub Inspector of police Ahmed Shiyam said police were not commenting on whether they would investigate the three cases reported by Ali Waheed.
In a statement police issued on 2 February police said they would launch an investigation of the demonstration outside MDNF and the president’s residence.
Prisoners in the Seenu Gan temporary jail, run by the MNDF, are being deprived of basic human rights according to an anonymous source claiming familiarity with the matter.
“[Inmates] are kept in small cages, four per block, they have to urinate in small water bottles, and if they want to use the toilet they are blindfolded, handcuffed and escorted by two guards,” the source told Minivan News.
Around 40 inmates were transfered to the temporary jail last October, after a fire caused by the inmates led to congestion in Maafushi jail.
When the prisoners were first transferred to the MNDF-run prison in Gan they were kept blindfolded and restrained for 72 hours, the source claimed.
“They have been here for three months now. It’s difficult to contact the outside world, and it was a long time before their families even heard from them. Inmates are being deprived of even the most basic necessities, even little things like soap, toothpaste and clothes are scarce. They feel they are not being given their rights.”
Contact with the outside world was minimal, “and they can’t see their parents, wives or children.”
The prisoners had previously gone on a hunger strike in protest at their treatment, the source claimed, and in response four were allegedly taken into a nearby wood and tied up for three days.
In addition, the source said the proximity to a military base meant the prisoners “hear gunshots all the time and can’t sleep at night.”
A prison cage at Gan
Most of the 40 inmates transferred to the prison were serving time for “small” convictions, “around five years”, the source claimed, and felt they should be treated as civilian rather than military prisoners as their court sentences had dictated.
Response
Minivan News attempted to contact the Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Services (DPRS) to confirm the allegations but was referred to the MNDF.
Brigadier General Ibrahim Mohamed Didi, in charge of the Gan MNDF base, said “the reason they are here is because they burnt the jail [at Maafushi], and a place was needed to keep them temporarily. This place was chosen,” he said.
“This is a military training base, not a proper jail. We can’t provide facilities to the inmates for things such as family visits. As for matters such as toilets, we are doing the best we can, but they have to remember this is a military base and we can’t give them five star service.”
Asked how he felt about being given the prisoners to look after, Didi said “it is not an issue of us being burdened with prisoners. That there was no place for the prisoners after the jail was burned is a national issue, and the government asked us to look after them.”
Didi said the prisoners were monitored by the military “to ensure there isn’t any violence going on. We also have to keep in mind the safety of the people of Addu and international airport. The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) recently came and did a report.”
Ahmed Saleem, president of the HRCM said the organisation had been made aware of a problem at Gan jail.
“We have recently received reports of this as well, and we are investigating the case,” he said.
“We have no problem with the MNDF guarding the perimeter [of the prison], but direct contact with the inmates should be by civil authorities. MNDF personnel will treat the inmates like prisoners-of-war, not criminals.”
Saleem added that the prisoners were at the temporary prison because some inmates set fire to the Maafushi jail, and “there wasn’t enough space there. We don’t want to release them, but they needed to be treated humanely.”
Treatment of prisoners in the Maldives had changed over the last few years, he said, “and the police have a very positive policy now. But there are always going to be individuals [involved in mistreatment].”
Fathmath Afiya from the Society for Women Against Drugs (SWAD) said “we have received information about this as well, and recently sent a letter to the parliament asking that the conditions in the Gan jail be improved.”
More than 200 employees from the Maldives Airports Company will be transferred to the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Maldivian National Defense Force (MNDF).
Managing Director Mohamed Ibrahim said 84 employees working at the air traffic control tower will be transferred tothe civil aviation ministry while 179 airport security officers will be transferred to the MNDF.
The company is being restructured and the transfer of employees is part of the downsizing project.
A fisherman from Seenu Meedhoo who fell into the ocean on 21 January is still missing.
The coast guard’s search effort locate the man has been unsuccessful despite the authority covering 275 square miles by sea and 580 square miles in a Dornier aircraft.
Ahmed Faruhaad fell into the ocean near a fishing site at Seenu Vilingili. The MNDF have urged all vessels travelling the area to keep an eye out for Faruhaad.
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