‘Don’t let go’: President marches with family of murdered blogger

The hectic traffic of Malé City was interrupted by these defiant chants Tuesday evening as about 200 people marched across the capital’s main thoroughfare to mark two years since the brutal murder of Yameen Rasheed, a blogger and human rights defender who fought relentlessly to seek answers for his abducted friend Ahmed Rilwan.

Previous marches after the journalist went missing in August 2014 saw his family members arrested, pepper sprayed and sacked from their jobs. This year, amid renewed hope for answers, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih marched in solidarity with the parents of Yameen and Rilwan.

After walking the length of Majeedhee Magu to the eastern artificial beach, Yameen’s father and Rilwan’s mother addressed the president directly with appeals for justice. Others spoke about hate speech, tolerance and pluralism.