Rilwan’s family to sue Maldives police for negligence

The family of missing Maldives Independent journalist Ahmed Rilwan is to sue the police for negligence, on the eve of a protest march to mark four years since his abduction.

Last week Judge Adam Arif said police and the prosecution had failed to investigate a “dangerous atrocity that seemed to have been conducted by a network of several people” as two men were acquitted of all charges.

“We intend to sue the Maldives Police Service for negligence,” Rilwan’s family told a news conference on Tuesday, “and urge the People’s Majlis (parliament) to do its part and establish which state officials were involved in the obstruction of justice for Rilwan, and ensure lawful action is taken against all who participated in this crime.”

The government has previously denied any involvement in the journalist’s disappearance.

But the family said the verdict showed “at minimum state complicity and, at worst, active involvement in Rilwan’s abduction and disappearance.”

His relatives renewed their calls for an independent investigation and to identify “those in positions of authority who were involved in the cover-up and their reasons for doing so.”

The protest march will take place Wednesday at 4pm, starting from the Majeedhee Magu-Chaandhanee Magu junction and ending at Rasfannu beach.

The family has already filed complaints with bodies including the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives and the National Integrity Commission, urging them to look into police negligence.