police – Page 14 – Minivan News

V News editor arrested for assault

V News Editor ‘Mundu’ Adam Haleem has been arrested on Tuesday night on charges of assaulting a female colleague.

The outlet has placed Haleem on suspension in connection to the incident, local media reports, after CCTV footage showing a man fitting Haleem’s description shoving a female colleague onto a staircase was circulated on social media.

The footage showed another male figure intervening to stop Haleem from further assaulting his colleague before pulling him into a nearby room.

Police stated that Haleem was arrested under a court order at around 11.30pm on Tuesday night (November 11), declining to comment further on the ongoing investigation.

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Adeeb’s number plate fell off, claims police

The number plates of Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb’s motorcycle fell off during a cycle rally held on November 8 to celebrate the upcoming one-year anniversary of President Abdulla Yameen’s administration, police have said.

In a press statement issued today in response to media reports of Adeeb driving his motorbike without a front number or license plate, police claimed that a member of the public had discovered the number plate and handed it over to patrolling police officers.

Police learned later that the number plate fell off shortly after the rally began, the statement explained.

However, prior to issuing the statement, the police media official had refused to comment on the case when contacted by local media this week.

The penalty for the traffic rules violation is a fine of MVR500 for a first time offence.

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We don’t wish anyone else to go through same pain: Rilwan’s family

The family of missing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan have welcomed the decision of the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) to look into allegations of negligence related to the investigation of his disappearance.

“We do not wish for any other family to face the pain and suffering this family has gone through in the past 95 days since Rilwan disappeared,” said the family in a press release today.

Pointing out that the suspected abduction of Rilwan was the first such case in the country’s history, the family said it was essential for the community that the investigation be trustworthy

“Police are reluctant to investigate to the extent that it leaves room to doubt their intention,” continued today’s statement.

While one suspect remains in custody in connection with the August 8 disappearance, Home Minister Umar Naseer has said last week that some cases cannot be solved, drawing parallels with missing Malaysian flight MH370 and the JFK assassination.

Naseer had acknowledged that gangs were involved before offering contradictory statements suggesting it could not yet be determined whether Rilwan’s disappearance was voluntary or enforced.

A private investigative report commissioned by the Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN) in September ruled out suicide or voluntary disappearance, concluding radicalised gangs to have been the most likely culprits.

Both Naseer and Police Commissioner Hussain Waheed have taken aim at civil society and the media, as well as friends and family of the missing journalist, suggesting vital leads had been lost due to leaked information.

Accusations of a lack of respect shown to the family formed part of the complaint lodged by the family with the police watchdog.

“While the [MDN] report was not compiled with any involvement of the family, police making such allegations against the family are against professionalism of the police and rules for dealing with people who request the police’s service,” the family explained.

Repeated attempts to obtain information on the investigation prompted one police official to tell a family memeber: ‘There’s no further information to give even if you come every day made up like that wearing a burqa’.

PIC Chair Fathimath Sareera Ali Shareef told Minivan News last week that the case was like none the commission had ever received.

Other allegations made by the family suggest police did not properly consider a reported abduction outside Rilwan’s Hulhumalé apartment, previous kidnappings by gangs, and reports that he was followed and threatened as evidence indicating he may have been taken.

It is also alleged that officers in charge of Hulhumalé police station refused to authorise a request by colleagues to search a car stopped the same night, despite potential links with the reported abduction.

Police Commissioner Waheed has rejected accusations of negligence.

“I don’t believe any slips have been made in the investigation which would justify the accusation. But there are lessons to be learned with every investigation. We are learning the lessons,” he told Haveeru late last month.

Attempts to bring pressure to bear through elected representatives failed last month after the People’s Majlis rejected a petitions signed by over 5000 people for as yet unclear reasons.

Groups from across civil society have called for the search for Rilwan to be expedited, with Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) adding its voice today.

“The Centre for Independent Journalism stands in solidarity with our colleagues in the Maldives and urges you to ensure that an independent and unbiased police investigation takes place; that those responsible for the disappearance are brought to justice; and that Ahmed Rilwan is returned home to his family and friends,” read a CIJ statement.

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“Not all crimes in the world are solvable”: Home minister says on Rilwan’s disappearance

Comparing Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan’s disappearance with the killing of American President John F. Kennedy, Home Minister Umar Naseer today said, “not all crimes in the world are solvable.”

“Americans still have not solved the case of who shot and killed President John F. Kennedy,” speaking at a press conference this evening.

“I’m talking about the shooting and killing of an American president. It has been more than 50 years since American citizens have been asking, who killed Kennedy?”

According to five different investigations, former Marine Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated Kennedy on November 22, 1963.

“Not every crime is solvable. And when a crime remains unsolved, it does not mean police were negligent. We are doing all we can in Rilwan’s case. We will not leave any stone unturned.”

Today marks the 90^th day since Rilwan disappeared. Eyewitness accounts suggest Rilwan was abducted at knifepoint outside his apartment at 2am on August 8. He has not been seen or heard from since.

Despite acknowledging involvement of criminal gangs in Rilwan’s disappearance, Naseer today said it is unclear if Rilwan’s disappearance constitutes a crime. The government can only know if he had voluntarily left, disappeared or been abducted once he is found, he said.

“America is a much bigger country than ours. Statistics show over 600 people went missing this year. They have better resources, a bigger budget, but they are unable to find [the missing people]. It is not so easy to find a missing person. Not every crime can be solved,” he continued.

“We can only know if it’s a crime when it is solved. God willing, Rilwan will be found. When he is found, we will know if he went missing, or whether it’s a voluntary disappearance, an enforced disappearance or an abduction,” Naseer added.

Naseer claimed the Maldives Police Service is continuing investigations, and is analysing 22,000 phone records and 4,000 hours of CCTV footage.

The opposition has wrongfully termed Rilwan’s case a “disappearance,” Naseer continued claiming “it is too early to call it a [disappearance].”

Rilwan’s family last week accused the police of negligence and filed a complaint with the Police Integrity Commission (PIC).

“If the abduction had been investigated immediately at the right time, the police would have been able to find the victim and clarify if it is our brother or not,” Rilwan’s sister Mariyam Fazna told the press last week.

Despite eyewitnesses having reported the abduction at knifepoint at 2am on August 8, police only took eyewitnesss statements on August 14, the family said. The police had also failed to track down and search the car used in the abduction.

The police only searched Rilwan’s apartment 29 hours after the abduction was reported and searched his office 11 days afterwards. The police also failed to make a public announcement on Rilwan’s disappearance – despite a request by the family – and did not inform the public on how to act if they had any information related to the case, the family explained further.

Four men have been arrested over Rilwan’s disappearance, but only one man remains in custody at present. The police have revealed few details on the case.

The People’s Majlis last week threw out a 5055 signature petition urging MPs to pressure police for a through and speedy investigation. The parliament secretariat later admitted the rejection was “a mistake,” according to MP Imthiyaz Fahmy who sponsored the petition.

Human rights NGO Maldivian Democracy Network released a report in September implicating radicalised gangs in Rilwan’s disappearance.

Discounting theories of voluntary disappearance and suicide, the investigation – conducted by Glasgow-based Athena Intelligence and Security – concludes the disappearance is likely to have been an abduction.

The report confirmed evidence of possible “hostile surveillance” at the terminal conducted by two known affiliates of Malé based Kuda Henveiru gang.

The NGO on October 23 accused the police of negligence in investigating the disappearance for their failure to inform the public on progress and failure to confirm if the abduction reported on the night Rilwan went missing was related to his disappearance.

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Man assaulted in Malé

A young man was assaulted and seriously injured near the Usfasgandu area of Malé last night, reports local media.

A police patrol discovered the victim on the ground around 1am and took him to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Police said a group of men on motorbikes assaulted the youth and no arrests have yet been made. Local media reported that the victim was attacked with wrenches while he was working on his motorbike.

The extent of the victim’s injuries also remain unclear.

Earlier this week, two men were stabbed in a café in Malé while several violent assaults took place in the capital during the previous month.

A spate of violent assaults in the capital in August – which police said was a series of gang reprisals – saw three young men stabbed to death.

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Newly planted areca palms uprooted on housing ministry orders

Reporting by Ismail Humaam Hamid

The Maldives Road Development Corporation (MRDC) has uprooted three newly planted areca palms in Malé today on the Housing Ministry’s orders.

The opposition dominated Malé City Council (MCC) replanted three trees this morning after masked men – believed to be police officers – chopped down 30 palm trees in the early hours of October 24.

“Today we planted three trees near the Malé City Council. However, workers from MRDC uprooted the trees moments later. They said they were acting on orders from the Housing Ministry,” Malé City Mayor Mohamed Shihab told the press today.

The police refused to help despite repeated requests, but watched the trees being removed, the mayor said.

“We requested assistance from the police as per rights afforded to local councils in the Decentralisation Act. But the police on the scene refused to help us. We have decided to lodge a complaint at the Police Integrity Commission (PIC).”

The MCC will also file a court case against MRDC for its illegal actions, the council said, arguing that the MRDC must defer to the MCC and obtain permission from the council in matters concerning Malé City.

According to newspaper Haveeru, senior members of the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) believe the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) use the areca palm trees for black magic to curse President Abdulla Yameen with ill health.

“[They] believe that [President Yameen’s] health worsens with every palm frond that falls off the areca palm trees. And that his health would worsen further with every tree that blossoms,” an anonymous government official was quoted as saying.

The MDP-dominated city council had planted the palm trees – donated by the Indian High Commission – in October 2011 as part of efforts to make the capital greener.

Meanwhile, former President Mohamed Nasheed alleged that masked Special Operations (SO) police officers in plain clothes chopped down the palm trees with machetes.

Patrolling police officers from the Maafanu police station arrested two of the perpetrators, Nasheed told the press last week, claiming that the suspects were handed over to the SO on the orders of a senior official from the SO command.

The pair were taken to the police Iskandhar Koshi barracks in an SO vehicle, he claimed.

Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed held a press conference last week during which he denied police involvement in the incident, dismissing the opposition leader’s allegations as “baseless”.

Speaking to the press today, Deputy Mayor Shifa Mohamed accused the government of chopping down the areca palms.

“The government is involved in the chopping down of the trees. There were a lot of SO police officers in Malé that night. However, it is unclear whether they were trying to stop the vandalism or assisting in the crime,” she said.

The council said it will lodge a complaint over MRDC’s actions with the Local Government Authority, the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, and international organisations.

Several areca palm trees were also uprooted during protests against the MDP government in January 2012.

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Rilwan suspect’s detention extended for the fifth time

The Criminal Court has again extended the detention of the sole suspect remaining in custody in relation to the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan.

Police have today confirmed that the suspect, whose identity has not been revealed to the public, had his extension extended for the fifth time yesterday (November 4) – giving police another ten days to conduct investigations.

No further details of the case’s progress have been made public.

After the Majlis rejected a 5000 signature petition calling for greater efforts in the search, the family last month lodged an official complaint with the Police Integrity Commission (PIC), accusing the Maldives Police Service of negligence.

PIC Director General Fathimath Sareera Ali Shareef told Minivan News today that the commission has decided to investigate the case, and has begun compiling relevant information.

“We have never had a case like this before,” explained Fathimath, who was unable to give a time frame for the investigation due to its “sensitive” nature.

Police Commissioner Hussein Waheed has rejected the accusations, telling local media last week that the police service had not forgotten about Rilwan’s case. Police said earlier this week that investigations were progressing “speedily”.

Four suspects were arrested in connection with the disappearance of the 28-year-old shortly after the release of a private investigative report into the suspected abduction. Three, however, were released shortly after.

Authorities – including the police commissioner and home minister – have condemned the report, suggesting that the publication of suspects’ names had jeopardised their own investigations, leading to the loss of valuable leads.

The report – conducted by a UK-based security company – noted “hostile surveillance” of Rilwan in the moments prior to his disappearance, concluding that the most likely groups to have been involved in his abduction were radicalised gangs – a theory supported by comments from Home Minister Umar Naseer.

Rilwan’s family lodged the official complaint with the PIC on October 29 , accusing the Maldives Police Service of not taking the case seriously, and of showing disrespect to the family since the disappearance 89 days ago.

“Our family is in deep mourning. We have no way forward. We believe police negligence is behind the lack of progress in finding Rilwan,” said Rilwan’s sister Fazna.

The police have failed to take the case seriously, despite an abduction outside Rilwan’s apartment building on the night of his disappearance and reports that he had received numerous death threats and had been followed, she said.

Eyewitnesses had reported the abduction at knifepoint at around 2am on August 8, but police only took their statements on August 14, the family said, adding that the police had also failed to track down and search the car used in the abduction.

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MDN urges the police to speed up investigations of death threats against journalists

The Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN) has urged the Maldives Police Service (MPS) to speed up its investigations into the many death threats made to journalists and to ensure their adequate protection.

In a press statement released on the occasion of UNESCO’s International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, MDN also expressed its concern over the prevalence of aggressive threats made against journalists.

“Journalists in Maldives continue to receive death threats and other violent messages, some in the public domain through social media. They have been targeted with grave physical harm. It is appalling that these incidents should go without investigation and apprehension of perpetrators,” read the MDN statement.

MDN also voiced their concern over the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan who has been missing for 87 days as of today (November 2).

“There has been no progress in finding Rilwan, and allegations of impunity have risen with every passing day,” said MDN.

Rilwan’s disappearance is the first such instance of its kind in the Maldives, although near fatal attacks were carried out on the blogger Ismail Hilath Rasheed in 2012 and the Raajje TV reporter Ibrahim ‘Asward’ Waheed in 2013.

Adopted by a resolution in the UN General Assembly last year, the day is used to urge member states to implement definite measures countering the present culture of impunity.

November 2 was chosen to commemorate to two French journalists killed in Mali on 2 November 2013. UNESCO reports that over 700 journalists have been killed in the last decade, with 2012 and 2013 representing the deadliest years.

Following Rilwan’s disappearance in August, journalists from across the Maldives joined to declare that his abduction was a threat to all, and calling for an end to persistent intimidation faced by the press.

“As intimidation of press grows, and attacks against journalists, equipment, and buildings continue, we are extremely concerned over the delays in bringing to justice those who commit these acts,” read the landmark statement.

Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon also expressed concern regarding acts of intimidation and reprisals to journalists in general, noting that “freedom of media facilities a greater degree of interconnectedness and awareness in the community, and is the cornerstone of any democratic society”.

Last week, the People’s Majilis threw out a 5055 strong petition urging the parliament’s National Security Committee to pressure the Maldives Police Services to conduct a speedy and thorough investigation.

Rilwan’s family also lodged a formal complaint with the Police Integrity Commission accusing the police of negligence in the investigation into the 28-year-old’s disappearance.

Meanwhile, a media official from MPS told Minivan News today that that investigation into Rilwan’s disappearance is going ahead speedily but reported no new updates to the investigation

The media official also mentioned that police security was provided for two journalists after two convicts who were serving life sentences for murder escaped the Maafushi high security prison in October.

A total of four men have been arrested over Rilwan’s disappearance, although only one man remains in custody at present.

Home Minister Umar Naseer said he believed Rilwan to be alive and promised to return him safe to his family. He has also acknowledged the involvement of criminal gangs in the case.

Last month, MDN released the findings of a private investigation, which discounted theories of voluntary disappearance and suicide, concluding that the disappearance was most likely an abduction by radicalised gangs.

On September 25, a named suspect in the MDN private investigation broke a CCTV outside Minivan News building before two men on motorbikes lodged a machete to the door.

Police arrested the renowned gangster who was caught on footage when he broke the camera only to be released the next day by the Criminal Court demanding the man to cooperate with the investigation and not to cause any further disturbances.

MPS also provided Minivan News with static security outside the building after the attack with one Minivan News journalist receiving death threats in the hours following the attack.

Recently, Amnesty International demanded police intensify their efforts to find those responsible for the numerous death threats and violent attacks against journalists.

Numerous international organisations have criticised the slow progress in the investigation of the case including Reporters without Borders and the International Federation of Journalists.

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Palm trees used by MDP to curse President Yameen, alleges senior government official

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) were using areca palm trees planted in Malé by the city council for black magic to curse President Abdulla Yameen with ill health, an anonymous senior government official has alleged.

“The palm trees were planted with black magic,” the unnamed official told newspaper Haveeru today, claiming that the sorcery or black magic was the reason for the main opposition party’s concern and preoccupation with the felling of the trees in the early hours of October 24.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed alleged that masked Specialist Operations (SO) police officers in plainclothes chopped down the palm trees with machetes.

Patrolling police officers from the Maafanu police station arrested two of the perpetrators, Nasheed told the press on Tuesday (October 28), claiming that the suspects were handed over to the SO on the orders of a senior official from the SO command.

The pair were taken to the police Iskandhar Koshi barracks on an SO vehicle, he claimed.

Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed held a press conference yesterday and denied police involvement in the incident, dismissing the opposition leader’s allegations as “baseless”.

Haveeru meanwhile claimed to have learned that the palm trees were cut down because senior government officials believed the MDP was using the trees to practice black magic.

The local daily claimed that senior members of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) believe that the trees were planted for use in black magic or sorcery, noting that several areca palm trees were uprooted during anti-government protests in January 2012.

The MDP-dominated city council planted the palm trees – donated by the Indian High Commission – in October 2011 as part of efforts to make the capital greener.

President’s health

Haveeru also referred to rumours of President Yameen undergoing brain surgery in Singapore to remove a tumour following his most recent unofficial trip to the country.

President’s Office Spokesperson Ibrahim Muaz had dismissed the rumours as false and assured that the president and first lady were in good health, after MDP leader Nasheed had questioned Yameen’s absence from the country.

A close associate of President Yameen told the newspaper that the president did not seek treatment for a brain tumour.

Instead, the associate claimed, the president sought treatment for infections caught during his Hajj pilgrimage and had to be admitted at a Singapore hospital.

The anonymous government official said the president’s close associates believe that black magic or sorcery using the palm trees were responsible for the president’s ill health.

The associates advised President Yameen that the palm trees were the cause of his health problems, the senior official said.

The official further claimed that the housing ministry had sent a letter to the home ministry requesting the trees be taken down.

“Those who [chopped down the trees] did it because the home ministry wouldn’t,” the president’s close associate told the local daily.

“This has to be done for the sake of national security as well. That is the palm trees can be taken down when the head of state’s life is in danger,” he was quoted as saying.

“President Yameen got relief when the palm trees were cut down. And the black magic is being exposed by the MDP’s actions, isn’t it? Less than 24 hours after the palm trees were cut down, [MDP MP Reeko] Moosa [Manik] announced he would contest in the [MDP’s presidential] primary.”

Allegations supported

Police officers have also told Haveeru on condition of anonymity that former President Nasheed’s allegations were true.

“We were on duty that night. The police command said masked men were cutting down the trees,” a police officer claimed.

A second police source alleged that the two or three groups of officers from the SO SWAT who cut down the trees were wearing SO balaclavas or masks.

“The Maafanu police caught two groups. They caught one on Lily Magu and he fell when they struck him on the back,” the police source alleged.

Credible sources have corroborated the claims to Minivan News, revealing that the incident has caused a rift between the SO and capital police commands.

In May 2012, police raided the MDP’s Usfasgadu protest camp over “suspected black magic performed in the area.”

The search warrant obtained from the Criminal Court alleged that on May 25 “MDP protesters threw a cursed rooster at MNDF officers.”

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