police – Page 83 – Minivan News

Proposed budget faces cross-party criticism

The state budget for 2013 submitted to parliament by Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad has come under heavy criticism from both opposition and government-aligned parties during last week’s 16-hour budget debate.

Speaking during Thursday’s sitting, Majority Leader MP Ibrahim Mohamed Solih ‘Ibu’, parliamentary group leader of the formerly ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), contended that the proposed budget could not be salvaged or improved through amendments.

Ibu suggested that parliament should “set this aside” and approve enough funds for the state to function in the first three months of 2013.

“After that, appeal [to the government] to propose a budget that is beneficial to the whole nation and represents all constituencies. I don’t believe we can implement this budget any other way,” the majority leader said.

Ibu argued that the estimated revenue of MVR 12.9 billion (US$836 million) was unlikely to materialise.

“This [projected income] includes MVR 1.8 billion (US$116 million) in new revenue. [But] this will not be received,” Ibu asserted.

The MDP MP for Lhaviyani Hinnavaru explained that parliamentary approval would be required for the new revenue raising measures, such as reversing reduced or eliminated import duties, hiking T-GST to 15 percent, raising the airport service charge from US$18 to US$30 and introducing GST for telecom services.

Ibu claimed that the import duty revision to raise tariffs on oil “will not be passed in this Majlis,” calling on the budget review committee to scrap the estimated revenue forecast from import duties.

The MDP would not support increasing T-GST without consultation with the tourism industry, he added.

Predicting that the revenue in 2013 would reach “only MVR 11 billion at most,” Ibu warned that income would not be enough to meet recurrent expenditures on salaries and administrative costs.

Moreover, the fiscal deficit would be considerably higher than the forecast of six percent of GDP, he contended.

“The Finance Minister said the budget deficit in 2013 would be MVR 2.3 billion, that is MVR 2 billion less than the current year. This, too, is a serious deception,” he said, adding that the figure would be closer to MVR 5.9 billion (US$382.6 million) or higher than 10 percent of GDP.

Ibu also noted that while US$50 million was to be taken as foreign loans at an interest rate of 10 percent for budget support, the Finance Ministry did not include any information of the supposed lender.

“The [budget] document says we don’t yet know where the money is going to come from,” he said.

With a public debt-to-GDP ratio of 85 percent at the end of 2013, Ibu said international financial institutions would declare the Maldives “bankrupt.”

The majority leader also criticised Finance Minister Jihad for failing to mention budgeted salary increases for military and police officers as well as plans to hire 800 new officers for the security services.

Combined with the transfer of about 5,400 employees in the health sector to the civil service, Ibu explained that the wage bill would shoot up by 37 percent.

Ibu further questioned whether funds would be available to implement the proposed public sector investment programme (PSIP) of MVR 3.1 billion (US$201 million).

“I am saying that not even 25 percent of this MVR 3 billion PSIP can be implemented next year,” he said, adding that details of lenders for the proposed loans were not provided.

Ibu also protested that the only project for Hinnavaru in 2013, the sixth largest population in the country, was a youth centre worth MVR750,000 (US$48,638).

Echoing the concerns of the parliamentary group leader, MDP MP Eva Abdulla revealed that MVR 6 million (US$ 389105) was added to the budget of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) following the controversial transfer of presidential power on February 7.

Since the MDP government was ousted in the wake of a police mutiny on February 7, Eva said that the police and army have hired 250 and 350 new staff respectively.

Consequently, the institutions spent more than MVR 75 million (US$4.8 million) in addition to the approved budgets for 2012, she claimed.

The proposed budget of MVR 930.9 million (US$60.3 million) for defence expenditure in 2013 was meanwhile 14 percent higher than 2012.

Eva observed that the increase in the government’s wage bill of 37 percent was approximately MVR1.7 billion (US$110 million), which was also the amount allocated for harbour construction in the 2013 budget.

These funds should instead be spent for “harbours, education, sewerage and housing,” she argued.

“I know that the coming year is an election year. But what we know from the experience of [the presidential election in] 2008 is that the election cannot be won by adding employees to the government,” she said.

Coalition partners

Meanwhile, minority leader MP Abdulla Yameen, parliamentary group leader of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), said that the government’s objectives or policies could not be discerned from the proposed budget.

“These projects are very random or ad hoc. The government’s planning should be better than this,” he said.

While continuing deficit spending and accumulating high levels of public debt was a serious concern, “a good thing about this budget is that it hasn’t considered taking funds from the MMA’s [Maldives Monetary Authority’s] ways and means account, or in common language printing money, to finance this MVR 4 billion (US$259 million) [deficit].”

Financing the deficit with loans from the central bank leads to depreciation of the rufiyaa and rising inflation, Yameen said.

Securing commercial or concessional loans to plug the deficit was however “fine in itself if it can be repaid,” he added.

While President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has noted the high salaries paid by institutions such as the People’s Majlis as “a serious problem,” Yameen said he could not see “any kind of sign” of reducing recurrent expenditure or salaries and allowances for government employees.

In his budget speech last month, Finance Minister Jihad noted that almost half of recurrent expenditure was paying salaries and allowances.

On the proposed revenue raising measures, Yameen said PPM could not support introducing GST for telecom services.

“I believe there should be ways to raise income for the government without taking this tax. Therefore, we, our party, cannot support trying to get MVR 200 million (US$12 million) in additional income through imposing GST on telecommunications,” he said.

Concurring with the MDP parliamentary group leader, Yameen called on the government to consult the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) to determine whether the sector would be adversely affected by the proposed T-GST hike from 8 to 15 percent.

Government-aligned Jumhooree Party (JP) Leader MP Gasim Ibrahim, business magnate and chair of the budget review committee, said that parliament should consider the economic and social impact “at the micro-level” of the proposed revenue raising measures.

Gasim urged MPs on the budget committee to assess the costs and benefits of the proposed measures, noting that increasing import duties would lead to higher prices.

The MP for Alif Dhaal Maamigili appealed against proposing “unrealistic and empty documents” with the budget and pledging infrastructure projects that could not be delivered.

“The budget we passed for this year was in reality higher than MVR 16 billion (US$1 billion). But coming to year’s end we know from the revised budget that we achieved about MVR 12 billion or MVR 13 billion. So we are actually showing a dream to the public. We are intoxicating them with hopeful fantasies,” he said.

MP Visam Ali of the government-aligned Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) meanwhile said it was regrettable that a sizeable portion of the population did not have access to “basic services” such as sewerage, water and electricity while the GDP per capita was forecast to exceed US$5,500 in 2013.

With public debt projected to reach 82 percent of GDP next year, Visam said immediate steps were needed to avoid “bankruptcy”.

She added that it was questionable whether the proposed revenue raising measures could be approved next year as the government had yet to submit any of the amendments or bills required for its implementation.

Visam also expressed concern with administrative costs for government offices increasing by more than MVR 500 million (US$32.4 million) in 2013 compared to this year, noting that it diverts funds away from the public sector investment programme.

In a recurrent complaint of most MPs who spoke during the budget debate, Visam said the two islands in her constituency were neglected in terms of development projects in 2013.

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Five minors arrested in connection with assault

Police have arrested five boys under the age of 18 in connection with an assault at the carnival area in Male’ around 4:50pm on Friday (December 7).

According to police, a 22 year-old was stabbed near his left elbow and was treated at the ADK private hospital. He has since been released, police said.

The suspects taken into custody were aged 15, 16 and 17, police revealed.

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MNDF officer arrested in connection with Dr Afrasheem’s murder

A Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) officer has been arrested in connection with the murder of MP and religious scholar Dr Afrasheem Ali.

Although police and MNDF did not initially confirm the arrest, local media confirmed the report through the defence lawyers of the MNDF officer arrested.

Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef told Minivan News that police policy when providing information about Dr Afrasheem’s death was to keep all information until a next press briefing.

The MNDF has meanwhile confirmed that a MNDF officer was arrested earlier last week.

The MNDF told the local press that it was not the military’s policy to provide information on the charges, but said it would cooperate with the police in their investigation.

Commissioner of Police Abdulla Riyaz has claimed that the murder of MP for Ungoofaaru constituency Dr Afrasheem Ali was a well-planned murder and insisted it was politically motivated.

The Commissioner alleged that the assassins were offered MVR 4 million (US$260,000).

In a presentation shown during a press conference this week, Riyaz claimed that altogether 11 suspects were arrested with three of them later released.

He said that 200 items were collected as forensic and digital evidence.

“Over 500 hours of CCTV footage have been analysed, more than 100 people have been interviewed and about 13,000 phone call recordings have been analysed out of which 12,000 were from one single tower,” Riyaz said.

Afrasheem was killed on October 1. His wife discovered the body lying on the staircase of their home.

Dr Afrasheem was elected to parliament in 2009 as a member of the then-opposition Dhivehi Rayithunge Party (DRP). Following the opposition’s split, Afrasheem sided with the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, and faded into the political background.

Widely considered an Islamic moderate, Dr Afrasheem took outspoken and controversial positions on issues such as the permissibility of playing music, and praying next to the deceased.

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Police start investigation after teenage girl found with eyes glued shut

Police have opened an investigation into an incident involving a 17 year-old girl who was held down and had her eyes glued shut on the island of Maduvvari in Raa Atoll.

While the Maldives Police Service has confirmed the incident occurred, it was not supplying further details on the case.

However the island council of confirmed to local media that the girl was found with her eyes sealed with a substance believed to be a strong adhesive at about 8:45pm last night. According to reports, the council said the girl was found abandoned on an uninhabited part of the island.

The council also confirmed that the 17 year-old was unconscious when she was found. She was taken to the island health centre on discovery.

When interviewed by the press, the girl’s family alleged that a group of islanders were responsible for incident, which had left her eyes potentially seriously injured.

Doctors were not able to ascertain the extent of the injuries to her eyes because she was unable to open them, her family told local media.

The girl’s family claimed that the teenager was snatched by an unidentified group while she was walking along the street, and was taken to an uninhabited house in the island.

Once inside, one of her abductors was said to have hit her over the head with a wooden stick. She was then allegedly held down and glue was put in her eyes.

Maduvvari Council President Hussain Shiham told local media that once she had regained consciousness the girl had claimed she was attacked “by a man with long hair, and that he would have her teeth marks on his hand. But she couldn’t tell what he looked like.”

The victim was first taken to Ungoofaaru Hospital in Raa Atoll and later transferred to Indira Gandi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in Male’.

Similar incidents were reported to have happened on the same island in 2005.

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No official response from PIC over bystander’s death, authorities “elusive and slow”, says widow

Leaked CCTV footage which has thrown into dispute an official police account of 43 year-old Abdulla Gasim Ibrahim’s death in a motorcycle accident on August 17 has been making rapid rounds on social media.

The family of the victim in September raised the matter with the Police Integrity Commission (PIC), stating: “the ‘accident’ occurred due to a policeman standing in front of Hilaaleege using his baton to hit the head of the driver on a motorcycle which had two people fleeing after stealing, which caused the motorcycle to lose control and drive into Abdulla Gasim Ibrahim’s motorcycle.”

Ibrahim’s widow Naseema Khaleel told Minivan News on Monday that she had received no official response from the PIC to her letter.

“I call the PIC now and then and ask about it. They first said they’ve asked the police for the relevant footage, then later said they had received it. The standard answer since then has been that they are looking into the matter,” Khaleel said.

“The police call every now and then. They called a few days back to ask for the motorcycle registration and bills. They too say they are investigating the case. I do want to take the matter to court. Right now I’m waiting to see if we get a response from PIC,” Khaleel explained. “What else can we do?”

Khaleel stays home taking care of the couple’s two children, and said she has faced much hardship following her husband’s death.

“No state bodies or anyone else have extended any sort of support. My brothers and family help as much as they can. The younger child is seven and I, too, wish to provide for my children, for their education and school activities. But it is hard now,” she said.

Khaleel said she had approached the police after the incident, asking for assistance in taking her husband abroad for emergency medical care, but to no avail.

“I did approach the police to ask for help, but did not get any assistance from them. We had bury him in Sri Lanka in the end. I was not even given the police records, which further complicated things there. Had I gotten at least cooperation from the police, things would not have been as difficult as they were,” she said.

Khaleel said that although the Aasandha health insurance scheme helped with the medical costs, the graveness of the situation called for her and other close family members to travel with Ibrahim. She said the family had not received any assistance even in this instance.

“I am not trying to blame the police or any other persons involved. But even the police have said that Gasim had no fault in this, that he was just an innocent bystander. Then someone needs to take responsibility,” Khaleel said.

“I don’t know what else we can do. They are elusive and very slow, which is why we keep calling back. All I want is justice,” Khaleel told Minivan News.

Investigation almost concluded: PIC

PIC Director General Fathimath Sarira confirmed the PIC had received the letter, and that the investigation was now nearing the point of conclusion.

She also confirmed that the PIC had previously received the leaked footage and that it was part of the ongoing investigation.

Article 41(c) of the Police Act states that Maldives Police Service should inform the PIC upon the occurrence of death or infliction of grave bodily injury to a person due to the use of force by a police officer.

Asked if police had in accordance with the above article notified PIC of the incident, Sarira replied, “Police has notified the commission about the accident over a phone call. Although, when we first heard of the case, it was only said that a speeding motorcycle had collided with a parked one and led to a death. But then later, we got the footage too.”

Asked for clarification on what actions the commission would take if police were found to have failed to notify the commission as required, Sarira responded that police usually did keep the PIC informed and that she could not recall any recent incidents to refer back to.

“We will be concluding this investigation very soon and can then provide more details,” she said.

Meanwhile, Vice President of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) Ahmed Tholal stated that they had only become aware of the incident after the leaked video went viral on social media.

“We have today started discussions on the matter in the commission meeting. Only after the commission members conclude discussions can we provide details on how we will proceed to act on this matter,” he said.

“Police Commissioner Riyaz must take responsibility”

Former President Mohamed Nasheed and the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) have meanwhile released statements condemning the cover-up of the incident, and calling for Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz to take responsibility for the incident.

“I am shocked and appalled by the leaked video, which appears to show a policeman hitting a motorcyclist in the head with a baton, which led to the death of an innocent bystander,” said Nasheed.

“Under [President Mohamed] Waheed’s administration, we are seeing a return to the thuggish brutality of Maldives’ authoritarian past. I implore the international community to pressure the Waheed government to immediately and impartially investigate this case, to bring human rights abusers in the security forces to book, to cease its harassment of opposition members, and hold early elections so democracy can be restored.”

Warning: some viewers may find the following footage disturbing.

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Police release two suspects in Afrasheem murder case

Police have released one man and a minor arrested in connection with the murder of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP and religious scholar Dr Afrasheem Ali.

Local newspapers have identified the man released as Ali Hashim ‘Smith’. Minivan News understands that a 17 year old boy was also released last week, on condition that he not talk about the police investigation or face rearrest.

The Criminal Court extended the pretrial detention period of the suspects arrested in the Dr Afrasheem’s murder case.

Afrasheem was killed on October 1. His wife discovered the body lying on the staircase of their home.

Immediately prior to his murder Afrasheem had made his last public appearance on a live talkshow on TVM titled “Islamee Dhiriulhun” (Islamic Living).

In his last words, Afrasheem said that he was deeply saddened and asked for forgiveness from citizens if he had created a misconception in their minds due to his inability to express himself in the right manner.

Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Shaheem Ali Saeed was quoted in local media as saying that the Islamic Ministry had not forced Afrasheem to offer a public apology for anything during his last television appearance and disputed that there was any religious motivation in the death of the moderate scholar.

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has sought assistance from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Singaporean police to analyse 200 items collected as evidence during the ongoing investigation.

Evidence gathered so far includes recordings of phone conversations, forensic samples and over 300 hours of CCTV footage, which were being analysed at the police forensic laboratory with the help of foreign experts.

Meanwhile, former President Mohamed Nasheed has publicly alleged that the people behind the MP’s murder have fled the country.

He made the remarks during a rally held in Haa Dhaal Atoll Vaikaradhoo Island in Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s ongoing campaign trip ‘Vaudhuge Dhathuru’ (Journey of Pledges).

Nasheed said that two foreign intelligence agencies had informed him that the murder of Afrasheem was related to an incident that took place in a neighboring country and that the culprits had fled to a Middle Eastern nation after murdering the Maldivian MP.

“According to information I received, the person who murdered Dr Afrasheem fled the country on the same night the murder took place. This murder is related to an incident that took place in a neighboring country. This is an international issue. I was informed of this by the intelligence agencies of two friendly states,” he said.

Nasheed expressed his disappointment over the senior officials of the current government, including cabinet ministers, who had politicised the case, accusing the MDP of murdering the MP for political gain.

Despite the allegations, Nasheed contended that his party would neither commit such a gruesome act nor use it for political gain. He also said that despite all the false allegations, the party had won twice the number of votes it did in 2009, during the recently held by-election to elect a parliamentarian to the vacant seat.

After rigorous campaigning, PPM candidate Ibrahim Ameen won the by-election 1159 votes in polling held on the islands of Ungoofaaru, Hulhuduffaaru, and Maakurathu, all in Raa Atoll, as well as a special polling station in Male’. He defeated MDP candidate Dr Ahmed Ashraf who had 1078 votes.

The former president meanwhile also alleged that the police were trying to force out a confession from those currently under arrested in connection with the murder. This confession, he said, would be used to hold trials against the suspects to cover up the real case. Nasheed said the suspects should not be tried on confessions extracted in such a manner.

“Trial should not be held based on confessions. I urge the police to properly investigate the case. But even as I say this, I know that [Commissioner of Police] Abdulla Riyaz does not have the capacity to do this. That is because he is busy defending this government that was brought in through a coup, instead of being concerned for the general well being of the public,” he said.

“Highly concerning” – Home Minister Mohamed Jameel Ahmed

Meanwhile, Home Minister Mohamed Jameel Ahmed expressed concern over Nasheed’s remarks and said his statements “needed to be included in the investigation”.

Speaking to local newspaper Haveeru, Jameel claimed that Nasheed had been speaking about the murder differently in every island he had been visiting. The Home Minister said that he felt that public remarks made on a case that is being investigated should be considered a criminal offence that needed to be addressed.

“From the day Afrasheem was murdered, the remarks made by Nasheed have been highly concerning. It is not a good thing for politicians to use the case for political influence. One should always consider the fact that it may involve a hidden motive,” he said.

“This not a practice that would be accepted anywhere in the world,” he added.

Jameel affirmed that Nasheed’s remarks which he claimed to have been following information from foreign intelligence agencies would be included in the murder investigations. Jameel also called on him not to make emarks that would hinder the ongoing murder investigations.

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Police covered-up involvement in death of bystander, suggests leaked CCTV footage

Leaked CCTV footage has thrown into dispute an official police account of 43 year-old Abdulla Gasim Ibrahim’s death in a motorcycle accident on August 17.

Reporting the accident at the time, newspaper Haveeru stated that that according to police, two individuals on a motorbike had stolen a mobile phone from a foreigner on Majeedhee Magu and sped away on a motorcycle. Police had then ordered them to stop, but the two men had ignored the orders and fled from the scene at high speed.

Police said the speeding motorcycle hit the 43 year-old who was sitting on a parked motorcycle in front of the Justice Building, who was subsequently transferred to hospital with head injuries. The other two men were taken into police custody and charged with theft and speeding to avoid arrest, and the stolen phone was retrieved and returned to its rightful owner.

At the time of the accident, police told local media the accident had occurred due to the speeding motorcycle’s collision with Ibrahim’s motorcycle. They had made no mention of any police involvement in the collision aside from ordering the motorcycle to stop.

However, footage leaked on social media – which appears to be from a camera on the wall of the Presidential residence of Hileaage – shows a police officer stepping in front of the speeding motorcycle and appearing to hit the driver on the head with a baton as he rides past.

The driver loses control and collides with Ibrahim sitting on his motorcycle just in front of the Justice Building entry, causing both to fly off their vehicles. The police officer retrieves an object from the ground and wanders away, as other police and a military officer rush to the scene.

Ibrahim’s widow Naseema Khaleel at the time of the collision shared details of his condition with the media: “Doctor says he is 99 percent braindead. He has been kept on the ventilator from day one. The doctor said they’ll turn off the machine at 7:00pm tonight.”

Ibrahim was taken off the ventilator and died on August 20.

Letter to PIC

In a letter to the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) dated September 24 and obtained by Minivan News, Ibrahim’s wife expresses regret that police failed to reveal details of the incident.

“The ‘accident’ occurred due to a policeman standing in front of Hilaaleege using his baton to hit the head of the driver on a motorcycle which had two people fleeing after stealing, which caused the motorcycle to lose control and drive into Abdulla Gasim Ibrahim’s motorcycle,” Naseema writes.

She calls on the PIC to investigate the incident in depth and look into whether the police, either as an institution or as individuals, acted in breach of the law.

Naseema refers to the Act in her letter and suggests that if the PIC had not been informed of the incident by police, it proved they were violating the law. She states that she intends to file the matter in court.

A police source told Minivan News that law enforcement officials were required to assess whether the application of force was justifiable, adding that the officer’s use of his baton on the fleeing suspect was “total negligence on his part”.

“They could have let them go and found them afterwards. They had the number plate, they could easily make out who it was, and there looks to have been plenty of eyewitnesses. What he did was totally stupid,” the source said. “There was also danger for the officer involved.”

The source said it was “very concerning” that police had not released to the public the true account of the circumstances which had led to the death of the bystander.

“There should be a thorough inquiry into police procedure and training in the proper application of force,” the source suggested.

After the footage began to circulate on social media, Police Sub-Inspector Hassan Haneef told Minivan News that police could not respond to allegations that officers were involved in Ibrahim’s death. Haneef said it was unable to respond as the letter of complaint was addressed to the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) and not the Maldives Police Service.

“The PIC will investigate and take necessary steps if any police or the institution is found to have committed such an act. The investigation is still ongoing,” he claimed.

Warning – some viewers may find the following footage disturbing

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DNA testing reveals child sex offender

DNA testing has revealed that a 37 year-old man impregnated a 11 year-old girl in the Feydhoo ward of Addu City, police have said, after concluding investigation of a case that prompted shock and public outrage last month.

The 11 year-old victim in Seenu Feydhoo gave birth two months prematurely on November 1 after being taken to hospital complaining of stomach pains.

The infant died in the early hours of the following morning (November 2).

On November 4, police confirmed that a 37 year-old male suspect had been taken into custody in connection to the case.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Inspector Hassan Shifau, acting head of the Family and Child Protection Department, explained that DNA samples from the infant matched the 37 year-old suspect, Mohamed Javid of Maradhoo-Feydhoo Gulfamge.

Shifau said police obtained DNA samples from all males in the household of the 11 year-old victim.

Javid was a friend of the girl’s parents and visited the house every night, Shifau explained.

Police discovered during the investigation that Javid had been sexually abusing the victim since early 2012, he added.

The second suspect, Adam Saeed, 45, had been living in the girl’s house. Both suspects had previously been arrested on drug-related charges.

The victim meanwhile told police that she did not tell anyone about the abuse she suffered.

Family members and school mates questioned during the investigation said they were unaware that the girl was pregnant as it did not show on her body.

The girl was said to be of a “quiet” and reserved nature.

An official from the Feydhoo health centre told local media last month that “the girl admitted that she got pregnant after someone had sexually molested her.”

In the press briefing, Inspector Shifau appealed to parents to have a closer relationship with their children to ensure that they would be able to share accounts of abuse.

Upon conclusion of the investigation by a team of the Family and Child Protection Department working with the Seenu Gan police station, Shifau said police were in the process of forwarding the case for prosecution.

Child abuse in the Maldives

The case of the 11 year-old giving birth prompted a wider public debate on child sexual abuse in the Maldives, while politicians and NGOs called for a swift investigation.

Speaking to Minivan News at the time, Islamic Affairs Minister Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed labelled it “a very big crime,” adding that the young girl should not herself take any blame or punishment.

“Personally I can’t say any word to punish a small girl in grade six. This may be a rape or sexual abuse case,” he said.

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) MP Rozaina Adam said the case was “unacceptable” and “shocking”, demanding on social media that police make the case a high priority.

“An 11 year-old doesn’t get pregnant by herself! This is child abuse we are talking about here n authorities need to find out who is responsible,” she wrote on Twitter.

However, Ali Rameez, a famous singer who gave up music and now heads the Islamic NGO Jamiyyathul Salaf, tweeted: “All you people who claim to be Muslims! In Allah’s Shariah [law], a child grows up when he or she reaches puberty. Not when they turn 16, 18, 25.”

Rameez, who also hosts a religious program on private radio station SunFM, tweeted earlier that he was “not aware that children could get pregnant.”

The comments were criticised by some social media users including former Environment Minister Mohamed Aslam, who tweeted: “Where are the children’s right groups… Where is HRCM.. Horrified with the preaching of people like Ali Rameez.”

Local NGO Advocating the Rights of Children (ARC) meanwhile issued a statement calling on the government, civil society organisations and the general public to step up efforts to combat child abuse in society.

“It is an obligation for us as responsible citizens to protect our children, and it is the Maldivian government’s obligation as a signatory to the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) that all international commitments to protect the rights of all children are adhered to fully,” ARC noted.

Almost one in seven children of secondary school age in the Maldives have been sexually abused at some time in their lives, according to an unpublished 2009 study on violence against minors.

Rates of sexual abuse for girls are almost twice as high than for boys at 20 percent – one in five girls have been sexually abused – while the figure for boys was 11 percent. Girls are particularly at risk in the capital Male’, the report found.

In recent years, local authorities and NGOs have released a number of findings trying to detail the extent of child abuse and wider sexual assaults within society.

The state-run Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital’s (IGMH’s) Family Protection Unit reported in 2010 that the centre was notified of 42 cases of rape between 2005-2010. Most of these cases were found to involve minors.

According to the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, 13 rape cases were reported last year alone, the majority of which most were gang rapes or assaults involving minors.

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MPs can be arrested at crime scene, High Court rules

The High Court on Thursday ruled that MPs could be arrested at crime scenes despite a provision in the parliamentary rules stipulating that MPs could not be arrested while there was a pending no-confidence motion.

The ruling (Dhivehi) was made after the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) appealed a decision by the Kulhudhufushi Magistrate Court to release MPs Abdulla Jabir and Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, who were arrested on an uninhabited island on charges of alcohol consumption.

While it overruled the magistrate court decision to release the suspects, the High Court however ruled that there were no grounds to detain the MPs any further.

In its appeal, the state had requested authority to arrest the MPs again. But the High Court noted that the only reason police had given for requesting extension of detention was that the suspects might attempt to influence witnesses, ruling that such a possibility no longer existed.

In separate rulings referring to the constitution, the Police Act and Islamic Shariah, the High Court determined that despite the provision in the parliamentary standing orders, MPs could be arrested from crime scenes or if the arresting officer observes a crime being committed.

The article in the parliamentary rules was intended to protect MPs against arbitrary arrest, the High Court noted, but did not preclude arrests under any circumstances.

Section 202(d) of the house rules state that MPs cannot be arrested while there is a no-confidence motion before parliament to impeach the president or remove a cabinet minister, judge or member of an independent commission from his or her post.

Parliament on Wednesday meanwhile approved amendments to section 202 with 27 votes in favour and 18 against.

“The amendment proposed to Article 202 (b) states that if in the event of the arrest of a Member of Parliament under a circumstance that excludes allegations of criminal offense, and where immediate interrogation is not possible, then either the Speaker or the Secretary General of the People’s Majlis must be notified of the arrest in 15 minutes at the most,” according to the Majlis secretariat.

At the time of their arrest on November 16, no-confidence motions were submitted against President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik and Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chair Mohamed Fahmy Hassan.

While Speaker Abdulla Shahid had instructed police to abide by the rules and release the MPs, police had refused and contended that it was up to a judge to determine the legality of the arrest.

During the hearings on the appeal, the High Court rejected a request by the state to abolish the provisions in the parliamentary rules as the appeal concerned extension of detention and not the constitutionality of a clause in a specific regulation.

Following an emergency meeting in the wake of the arrests, parliament’s Privileges Committee passed a motion to ask the Prosecutor General to press charges against Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz for arresting the MPs in violation of the law, and disregarding the Speaker’s instructions to release them.

The committee also passed a motion to ask the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) to investigate allegations of police brutality against the MPs.

Meanwhile, in a statement at the time, police said 10 people were arrested during a ‘special’ operation on the island of Hodaidhoo in Haa Dhaal Atoll.

In addition to ruling coalition Jumhoree Party (JP) MP Abdulla Jabir and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor – also the party’s international spokesperson – those arrested included former SAARC Secretary General and Special Envoy to the former President, Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, former Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair and his wife Mariyam Faiz.

The others arrested were Jadhulla Jaleel, Hamdan Zaki, two Sri Lankan nationals named Raj Mohan and Anoor Bandaranayk as well as a Bangladeshi named Suhail Rana.

While Hamdan Zaki – son of Ibrahim Hussain Zaki – was detained on orders of the magistrate court, he was released to house arrest on Wednesday after being taken to hospital. Hamdan’s family told local media that he suffered a seizure when he was taken to the hospital and accused police of ill treatment and negligence.

Hamdan Zaki was admitted at the ADK hospital and reportedly suffered another seizure on Thursday morning.

MP Jabir meanwhile alleged that police used excessive force during the arrest. Jabir previously told Minivan News police actions resembled “a terrorist killing operation.”

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