Maldives News
Nasheed petitions lower courts to secure release
After appealing former President Mohamed Nasheed’s 13-year sentence at the Supreme Court this week, the opposition leader’s lawyers are now petitioning the lower courts to secure his release from prison. They are “seeking a solution through the judiciary” as urged by President Abdulla Yameen.
22 Dec 2015, 09:00
Introducing Dhivehi braille is just the first step for blind literacy
First Lady Fathimath Ibrahim’s unveiling of a braille code in Dhivehi earlier this month was hailed as a milestone that would improve literacy among blind Maldivians. Advocates for the disabled are now urging the government to make braille accessible by introducing the code in schools, printing books in braille, and training teachers to teach braille.
22 Dec 2015, 09:00
Striking staff demand transparent audit before job cuts
Staff on strike at the finance ministry have signed a petition calling on the Civil Service Commission to conduct a transparent and comprehensive resource audit before making mass job cuts.
22 Dec 2015, 09:00
Finance Ministry staff stage strike over job cuts: “We have families to take care of, bills and rent to pay”
Hundreds of civil servants at the finance ministry are on strike over mass job cuts. The historic strike – only the second by civil servants in recent history – comes after President Abdulla Yameen insisted on the dismissals, arguing the Maldivian civil service is overstaffed.
22 Dec 2015, 09:00
“This attack on me is, first and foremost, personal,” says Cadman
Responding to allegations of pitching the government and the opposition, Cadman writes: “Supporters of the former President need to make as much noise in public and in the press as possible because the activities of which he is accused are so hard to contest in court, not least when he has confirmed them in media interviews on at least two occasions.”
22 Dec 2015, 09:00
Maldivians who assisted deported German crew under fire
Home Minister Umar Naseer has pledged to prosecute all Maldivians who assisted a German TV crew who were deported while filming for a story on Islamic extremism. ARD’s local fixer was summoned for questioning on Sunday.
21 Dec 2015, 09:00
UNDP launches app to report illegal waste dumping
Users from the capital and its suburbs Hulhumalé and Vilimalé can download the ‘MakeMyIsland’ app for free, take a picture, and report littering and unattended waste in public spaces to the concerned authorities, which will attend to the problem and send a notification through email.
21 Dec 2015, 09:00
Filmmaker hopes to kickstart discussion with documentary on street harassment
‘Street Harassment: The Daily Menace’ by Hulhevi Media – uploaded to YouTube on Friday – shows women telling stories of facing harassment on a daily basis, including lewd remarks, exhibitionism, stalking, and groping.
21 Dec 2015, 09:00
China’s short-term affair with Yameen
The Maldives is not China, where predictability and stability can be achieved in a relatively subdued population. If China wants predictability, stability, and sustainability for its interests in the Maldives, it must support democracy, not complex authoritarianism, argues Hassan Hameed.
21 Dec 2015, 09:00
Rilwan’s disappearance: Why we accuse the government of negligence
500 days after our brother’s disappearance, the “Yageen [certain] team” have failed to conduct a thorough investigation. This is why we are forced to use words such as “failure,” “negligence,” and “atrocity,” writes Fathimath Shehenaz.
21 Dec 2015, 09:00
Russian’s arrest in Maldives lawful, rules US court
A US federal court has ruled that Maldivian law was not violated in the arrest of alleged Russian hacker Roman Seleznev by US Secret Service agents from the international airport in July 2014.
20 Dec 2015, 09:00
Hundreds protest over horrific rape case in Thinadhoo
Hundreds of Maldivians took to the streets in southern Gaaf Dhaal Atoll Thinadhoo Island after a woman from the island was hospitalized with life-threatening rape injuries.
20 Dec 2015, 09:00
Resort occupancy rate continues to fall
While the occupancy rate at resorts fell six percent in November to 68.7 percent, the occupancy rate at guesthouse rose 11.6 percent during the month. In contrast to resorts and hotels, guesthouse occupancy has risen to an average of 22.9 percent this year.
20 Dec 2015, 09:00
Nasheed lodges appeal at the Supreme Court
In a surprising U-turn, former President Mohamed Nasheed has lodged an appeal at the Supreme Court, requesting judges to overturn his 13-year jail sentence on a terrorism charge.
20 Dec 2015, 09:00
International Migrants Day march in Malé called off
A walk to mark the International Migrants Day was cancelled on Friday following alleged interference by the police.
20 Dec 2015, 09:00
Deported German crew’s coverage of Maldives will affect tourism, says minister
A report on radicalization in the Maldives by a German TV crew who were deported from Malé last week will affect resort bookings, Tourism Minister Moosa Zameer has warned.
20 Dec 2015, 09:00
Colonel’s military detention amounts to “enforced disappearance”
The criminal court refused to accept a case related to the colonel’s administrative detention at military barracks, citing the defence ministry’s denial of holding Fayaz under military custody. His lawyer said the state’s refusal to acknowledge the detention puts Fayaz “outside the protection of the law and it could legally qualify as an enforced disappearance.”
20 Dec 2015, 09:00
Cadman proposed to lobby for sanctions and a tourism boycott for Nasheed’s release
Toby Cadman, the barrister who defended the jailing of former President Mohamed Nasheed at the UN on the Maldivian government’s behalf, first approached the opposition leader’s aides and proposed to lobby for a tourism boycott and sanctions on the Maldives to gain his freedom, The Maldives Independent can reveal.
19 Dec 2015, 09:00
Government accused of hindering Nasheed’s Supreme Court appeal
The government’s refusal to allow lawyers to handover appeal documents to Nasheed directly constitutes a breach of lawyer-client protocol, as the government may intercept legally privileged communications, lawyers have said.
19 Dec 2015, 09:00
Ex vice president hauled to surprise trial in makeshift court room
Former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb was hauled to a makeshift courtroom at a police remand facility on Dhoonidhoo Island and charged with corruption in an unannounced hearing. He did not have access to a lawyer.
17 Dec 2015, 09:00
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