Lawmaker’s arrest was unlawful, High Court rules

Mahloof was charged with obstruction of justice for distributing masks at an opposition protest.

Mahloof made to apologise for judge change request

The opposition spokesman was made to apologise for a request to change the judge presiding in his trial on a charge of false reporting to law enforcement.

Mahloof tells judge to skip to sentencing

The Amnesty International prisoner of conscience on Tuesday told the judge presiding over his trial on a “false reporting” tweet to hand down any verdict he wants.

Opposition celebrates MP Mahloof’s release

Independent MP Ahmed Mahloof was released Friday morning after serving 10 months and 24 days in prison on two counts of police obstruction.

Jailed lawmaker leaves for medical treatment in India

Independent MP Ahmed Mahloof has issued several press statements from jail during the past month, expressing concern over the treatment of inmates at the Maafushi jail and criticising the judiciary, Yameen’s state of the nation address, and the change of burials from the capital to Hulhumalé.

IPU slams MP’s conviction, calls for transfer to house arrest

Expressing concern about “the severity of the sentence” handed to the Independent MP, the international organisation of parliaments said it “fails to understand the justification for his conviction and sentence.”

Opposition lawmaker’s health deteriorating in jail, family says

Mahloof’s wife claim that the MP’s health is deteriorating in jail has prompted calls for his transfer to house imprisonment for medical care.

Jailed MP Mahloof petitions UN rights panel

Mahloof’s petition is the fourth from a high-profile Maldivian politician to come before the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention since early 2015. In September, the specialised UN agency ruled that former President Mohamed Nasheed’s conviction on a terrorism charge was politically motivated.

Mahloof handed six months jail sentence

Today’s verdict comes a week after the lawmaker was sentenced to four months and 24 days in prison on a separate count of obstructing police duty. The MUO spokesman was found guilty of scaling barricades set up near the local market and trying to enter the restricted Republic Square.

Opposition MPs protest in parliament over jailing of Mahloof

MDP MPs clamoured for the immediate release of their jailed colleague and called for President Yameen’s resignation. Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed adjourned proceedings shortly after the protest began in the People’s Majlis chamber.

MP Mahloof arrested while promoting opposition rally

MP Ahmed Mahloof and three others were briefly detained Saturday evening. Standing atop a pickup, Mahloof was using a megaphone to invite the public to the rescheduled rally when riot police stopped the vehicle near the local market in Malé.

Opposition coalition reschedules first rally for July 21

The Maldives United Opposition, launched in London last month by opposition leaders in exile, had planned to hold the rally Thursday night despite the last-minute withdrawal of a permit granted by the housing ministry, but was forced to cancel due to bad weather.

MDP to hold anniversary parade in defiance of police

At a meeting last Thursday, senior police officers informed MDP officials that political activity will not be allowed in the streets of the capital, citing complaints about traffic jams and inconvenience to pedestrians.

Police use pepper spray to disperse opposition prayer gathering

Riot police also thwarted on Wednesday morning a prayer gathering by opposition supporters outside the Islamic centre in Malé after the communal Eid al-Fitr prayer.

President ‘halted’ central bank inquiry into money laundering

The opposition has renewed calls for Yameen’s arrest, claiming it has new evidence he instructed the central bank to halt an inquiry into the Maldives’ biggest ever corruption scandal.

Prosecutors return charges against MP Mahloof

Citing insufficient evidence, the Prosecutor General’s office has declined to prosecute Independent MP Ahmed Mahloof on a charge of assaulting a police officer during an anti-government protest in Malé on March 11.

MDP condemns arrest of MP Mahloof from anti-corruption protest

The Maldivian Democratic Party has strongly condemned the police’s “unconstitutional” obstruction of Friday’s protest as well as the heavy use of pepper spray against protesters and a Raajje TV journalist and the arrest of MP Ahmed Mahloof.

Independent MP questioned over corruption allegations against first couple

Maldives urged to sign Arms Trade Treaty

Raising concern over a government deal for a private armory in the Maldives, a parliamentarian has called on the government to sign the UN’s Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).

Explicit presidential power to pardon former state officials proposed

Independent MP Mahloof proposed amendments to the Clemency Act to grant legal authority for President Yameen to pardon or commute sentences of convicted former presidents, vice presidents, cabinet ministers, MPs, and Supreme Court Justices.