Maldives


President condemns stabbing of lawyer Mahfooz
“It is not right for a person to suffer such physical harm because of what he said or did. Such crimes should be stopped in the Maldives,” Yameen said. Home minister Umar Naseer meanwhile condemned the “barbaric attack” and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
06 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


Second invitation extended for Gayoom to attend campaign symposium
Gayoom had declined a previous invitation to inaugurate the first round of the symposium on Thursday night, fuelling speculation of a deepening rift between the Gayoom brothers and a split within the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM). Gayoom is the party’s leader.
06 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


MP Mahloof asks president’s office for details of ‘42,000 new jobs’
President Yameen had pledged to create 94,000 new jobs for youth during his five-year term. Speaking at the closing ceremony of a three-day symposium held to train “campaign leaders” for his re-election bid last night, Yameen said 50,000 new jobs have already been created during the past two years and that 42,000 young people have gained employment.
06 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


Family of four returns after abandoning plans to travel for ‘jihad’
A family of four who reportedly left the Maldives last week to join the civil war in Syria has returned after their intentions were discovered.
06 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


Amnesty calls for investigation of lawyer’s ‘brutal stabbing in broad daylight’
“This vicious attack must not go unpunished – Maldives authorities must ensure that human rights defenders can work free from fear of reprisals and that those responsible are held to account. There are strong suspicions that this was a targeted attack against Mahfooz Saeed and it is crucial that the true motive is uncovered,” said Abbas Faiz, Amnesty International’s Maldives researcher.
05 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


PPM appeals for unity amid rumours of rift between Gayoom brothers
After Gayoom declined an invitation to inaugurate a symposium to launch Yameen’s re-election campaign on Thursday night, a pro-government media outlet leaked conversations with PPM MPs on a Viber group, in which PPM MP Ibrahim Shujau said Gayoom’s decision can be interpreted as a refusal to back Yameen for a second term in office.
05 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


No ordinary crime: The stabbing of Mahfooz Saeed
The stabbing of lawyer Mahfooz Saeed on Friday cannot be easily dismissed as gang violence, an attempted robbery, or an assault by drug addicts, writes Hassan Mohamed.
05 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


Former President Nasheed’s lawyer stabbed
According to eyewitnesses, two men on a motorbike stabbed Mahfooz in front of the Vaadhee Fresh shop on Maaveyo Magu. Mahfooz was rushed to IGHM where he underwent surgery to remove the knife, which was lodged about three and a half inches deep above his left ear. He has since regained consciousness and his condition is now stable.
04 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


Nasheed’s visitation rights ‘restricted’
Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s parents and siblings were denied a weekly visit at the high-security prison on Maafushi Island today, according to lawyers.
03 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


Courts unlikely to clear backlog by Supreme Court deadline
It now appears unlikely that Maldives courts will be able to clear long- pending cases when the one-month period imposed by the Supreme Court expires on September 12.
03 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


Opposition announces nation-wide protests on Sep 11
The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is planning to hold a nation-wide protest on September 11 against the recent re-imprisonment of former President Mohamed Nasheed.
03 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


Government widens age range for foreign domestic servants
The immigration department has widened the age range for foreign domestic servants, drivers and attendants to between 23 and 58 years of age.
03 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


Gayoom turns down invite to launch Yameen’s re-election campaign
Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has declined an invitation to inaugurate a symposium to launch President Abdulla Yameen’s re-election campaign for 2018, set to begin tonight.
03 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


Keeping up with the authoritarians
Why is the international community reluctant to let go of the ‘democracy’ label for the Maldives? Does it arise from a fear of acknowledging defeat, or is it simply because international actors are not keeping up with the authoritarians in the Maldives? asks Azra Naseem.
03 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


Nazim and Imran’s court cases “lost in judicial bureaucracy”
The Supreme Court’s decision to divide the nine-member High Court bench to three branches has stalled appeals filed over Nazim’s conviction and Imran’s continued detention without charge.
02 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


President Yameen makes rare visit to four islands
In a rare visit to four Maldives islands this week, President Abdulla Yameen pledged to provide government-administered electricity in all inhabited islands by 2018. In 2014, he had assured the same by the end of 2015.
02 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


Government’s economic policies are “failing,” says MDP
The MDP has expressed concern over a “ballooning budget deficit,” and said the Maldives will not meet targeted 1.4million arrivals, or raise expected revenue from SEZs.
02 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


Judges asked to review decision to throw out challenge to Nasheed’s re-imprisonment
Jailed former President Mohamed Nasheed’s lawyers have requested criminal court judges to review its registrar’s decision to throw out a challenge to his re-imprisonment on August 23.
02 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


Supreme Court to set up ‘judicial academy’
A circular issued by the apex court and signed by Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed yesterday stated that a mechanism for “continuous judicial education” is needed to ensure the right to a fair, impartial, and expeditious trial.
01 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM


Family of victim fatally injured by metal post calls for investigation
The family of a young woman who was fatally injured by a falling metal post have asked President Abdulla Yameen to ensure that action is taken against government officials found to have been responsible for the accident.
01 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM

