Eight years and no justice: the murder of Yameen Rasheed
With most of those implicated still to face justice, here's everything you need to know about how the Maldives lost its favourite blogger.
Artwork: Dosain
12 May, 4:00 PM
Mohamed Junayd
Last month marked eight years since the blogger and activist Yameen Rasheed was stabbed to death outside his home in the Maafanu ward of Malé. While almost a dozen individuals were suspected of involvement in a conspiracy to murder, only two have been convicted.
This is part of the Maldives Independent’s timeline series, looking back at the stories we missed during our five-year hiatus from January 2020 - January 2025.
23 April 2017
At around 2:30am, Yameen walks from his workplace at the Maldives Stock Exchange to his apartment in Maafannu. He is followed home by two men while two more wait inside the M. Spatula building. CCTV from the stairwell captures two men stabbing Yameen as he waits for the elevator.
Police receive the first report of a man found unconscious in a pool of blood at around 3am. Yameen is taken to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital where he is declared dead at around 3:40am.
24 April 2017
Friends, family members and journalists release rose-red helium balloons in honour of his memory at the Artificial Beach.
25 April 2017
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urges the government to ensure that the investigation is “prompt, thorough and that the perpetrators are brought to justice in line with international human rights laws and standards”.
A Facebook page called Qafila (meaning ‘caravan’ in Arabic) threatens more killings against those it accuses of campaigning for secularism, speaking of a hit list and saying there will be no rest until all apostates are beheaded.
26 April 2017
Hundreds sign a petition calling for a credible investigation into Yameen’s murder and into the abduction of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan.
28 April 2017
Yameen’s father, Hussain Rasheed, seeks help from diplomats and international organisations in Sri Lanka to pressure the government to carry out an independent investigation with foreign assistance.
29 April 2017
Shoko Noda, the UN resident representative to the Maldives, meets police. Noda’s office says the meeting was to “stress the need for a thorough, impartial investigation” and to “strengthen response mechanisms to threats”.
30 April 2017
Media outlet VFP reports police have told Yameen’s family that the suspects caught on security cameras cannot be identified because they were in disguise.
1 May 2017
President Abdulla Yameen makes public comments about hate speech and the limits of freedom of expression. His remarks are viewed as a reference to Yameen, whom ruling party members had accused of apostasy and insulting Islam.
3 May 2017
7 May 2017
Police arrest third and fourth suspects, Ahmed Nasooh Abdulla and Mohamed Yashfau Rasheed.
9 May 2017
Police arrest Ismail Haisham Rasheed, Ahmed Zihan Ismail and Ismail Rasheed, bringing the total number of suspects arrested to seven. They reveal that four suspects have now been arrested, including the two identified from the CCTV footage.
Three UN human rights experts call on authorities to carry out a thorough and independent public inquiry.
15 May 2017
Yameen’s family petitions the UN to press the government for an independent investigation led by the office of the UN human rights chief or a reputable international organisation.
23 May 2017
Police block a march by friends and family to mark one month since Yameen’s murder. A sit-in protest is held to avoid a confrontation with police.
30 May 2017
Yameen’s family appeals to the police to disclose information about the investigation, claiming they have been unresponsive to repeated attempts to contact them.
14 June 2017
Eighth suspect, Hussain Ziyad, is arrested.
18 June 2017
Police reveal the identities of three suspects: Ismail Rasheed, aged 25; Ismail Haisham Rasheed, aged 21; and Ahmed Zihan Ismail, aged 22. They say these are the prime suspects.
19 June 2017
Family of suspect Ismail Rasheed allege attempts by the police to coerce him into giving false testimony.
6 July 2017
Yameen’s father accuses police of destroying forensic evidence gathered from the crime scene.
20 July 2017
Police wrap up their three-month long investigation and forward cases for prosecution.
1 August 2017
Friends and family mark 100 days since the murder with a tweetstorm and a silent vigil outside M. Spatula.
9 August 2017
Senior policeman tells the press Yameen was killed by men who believed he was “mocking” Islam.
10 September 2017
Trial for six of the eight suspects begins with closed preliminary hearing.
Ismail Haisham Rasheed, Ahmed Zihan Ismail, Ismail Rasheed, Mohamed Dhifran, Hassan Shifaz, and Hussain Ziyad are charged with felony murder and remain in custody.
A seventh suspect, Mohamed Yashfau Yameen, is charged with aiding and abetting murder and transferred to house arrest. The Prosecutor General’s Office declines to press charges against an eighth suspect, Ahmed Nasooh Abdulla.
17 September 2017
Civil court dismisses the family negligence suit against the police.
4 October 2017
A second preliminary for the six murder suspects is held behind closed doors.
29 October 2017
A third preliminary hearing is held behind closed doors.
6 November 2017
An administrative meeting is held between court staff and defendants.
7 November 2017
Haisham, Zihan, Dhifram, and Shifaz deny allegations regarding Yameen’s murder at the fourth preliminary hearing, which is also held behind closed doors.
8 January 2018
Hearing cancelled.
16 January 2018
A fifth preliminary hearing is held behind closed doors.
12 April 2018
Yameen’s family takes negligence suit to High Court.
16 April 2018
An administrative meeting is held with court staff, defendants, and prosecutors.
18 April 2018
A sixth preliminary hearing is held behind closed doors.
7 June 2018
First open hearing is cancelled 15 minutes before it was due to start. Yameen’s family are told by court staff that the defence lawyers were busy.
27 June 2018
A scheduled hearing is cancelled, with the court spokesperson saying this was due to “administrative reasons”.
11 October 2018
Yameen’s family is allowed to attend a preliminary hearing for the first time.
18 October 2018
The criminal court concludes the preliminary hearings for the case.
15 July 2019
After a nine-month hiatus, the trial resumes with testimonies from police officers who transported Yameen’s body. Prosecutors try to summon the first policemen who attended the scene, but the officer is said to be out of Malé.
22 July 2019
A hearing is cancelled when a defence lawyer informed the court he was on sick leave. Judge Ali Rasheed Hussain expressed concern over multiple delays, telling the lawyers representing the six defendants they should not request postponements when only one member was unavailable.
31 July 2019
A hearing is held during which a secret witness, speaking with an audio device to distort their voice, testified that the defendants began planning the murder in a mosque. The witness said discussions started in November 2016, with meetings also taking place in the home of Ismail Haisham Rasheed, who was identified as the leader of the group.
Other unknown accomplices “facilitated” the murder by providing knives, motorbikes, wigs and phones, the witness said. The two policemen who first attended the scene also testified during the hearing.
7 August 2019
During a hearing, a secret witness identified three of the prime suspects, placing them at the crime scene. Testifying via an audio link, the witness recalled hearing screams and seeing two men exit the building between 2:45am and 3:00am. The witness also saw the suspects fleeing the crime scene.
21 August 2019
Only two of three secret witnesses scheduled to testify appear before the court. In response to questions by the judge, prosecutors said that witnesses were reluctant to testify due to external influences.
27 August 2019
Expert witnesses are brought in by the prosecution, including the video analyst who studied the CCTV footage from the night of the murder.
10 September 2019
A witness scheduled to testify during the hearing refuses due to threats and intimidation, prosecutors tell the court.
15 October 2019
Another anonymous witness tells the court they “did not remember much” but that the statement they gave to the police during the investigation was completely true.
17 November 2019
A hearing is cancelled.
25 November 2019
Testimony is heard from policemen who searched the residences of the prime suspects, Ismail Rasheed and Hussain Ziyad. Prosecutors ask the court to conclude testimonies, noting that three remaining witnesses had refused to testify due to threats and intimidation.
15 December 2019
The criminal court summons Zahid Rameez, who had threatened Yameen publicly on Twitter in 2011 and 2012. The defence notes that Zahid was among four people who had publicly threatened Yameen, but says others would not come to the court “willingly.” The court agrees to summon Zahid as his name was the only one provided with a current address.
7 January 2020
The state is unable to summon Zahid Rameez. Lawyers tell the court that one of the defendants does not want to present any of the proposed defense witnesses as they did not feel there was enough evidence to convict them.
15 January 2020
Hearing is cancelled.
30 January 2020
The court had initially planned to finish the trial by this date but was delayed by problems summoning and presenting witnesses. Another defendant chooses to withdraw a witness who did not turn up to court.
23 February 2020
Hearing is cancelled.
27 February 2020
Hearing is cancelled.
March 2020
Maldives goes into lockdown due to COVID-19. While some court hearings took place virtually, the defence lawyers refuse to hold any virtual hearings.
7 February 2021
Trial resumes after almost a year. A ten-second video of two men stabbing Yameen in the stairwell is shown as evidence. The video is from a CCTV camera in the lift, which briefly captures the stairwell as the elevator doors open and then close.
17 February 2021
A virtual hearing is held, with the court addressing a motion by one defendant for transfer to house arrest due to ill health.
18 March 2021
A virtual hearing considers defendant Ismail Rasheed’s motion for transfer to house arrest. He alleges he was not being treated according to doctors advice at jail and that he had been beaten up by corrections officers.
April - August 2021
No hearings scheduled after the overseeing judge is promoted.
16 August 2021
The judge rejects Ismail Rasheed’s motion for house arrest but concedes some points, asking corrections to ensure adequate diet and treatment according to doctors advice and to release confiscated items.
16 September 2021
Defence raise questions about the admissibility of evidence, with lawyer Maumoon Hameed saying testimony given by one of the anonymous witnesses made it clear he had been involved in the murder.
19 September 2021
Another hearing is held for defence lawyers who did not attend the September 16 session. The judge announces an October hearing where the heirs of Yameen will be heard prior to closing statements and the verdict.
18 November 2021
Prosecution and defence deliver their closing statements, with the former saying the evidence was overwhelming and left no room for doubt. They argue that Dhifran and Shifaz had been stalking Yameen while Ismail Rasheed acted as a lookout as Haisham and Zihan carried out the attack.
Prosecution lawyers say Hussain Ziyad was unable to take part in the crime due to a leg injury sustained a few days before. The defense contends the case lacked sufficient proof to meet the threshold of reasonable doubt.
19 January 2022
A verdict is delivered, with Ismail Haisham Rasheed and Ahmed Zihan Ismail convicted for stabbing Yameen in the stairwell. The rest were acquitted.
When asked about their wishes, Yameen’s father calls for the death penalty though his mother, Mariyam Shafeega, rejects it in accordance with her son’s beliefs. Without consensus, the court was not able to issue a sentence of death.
Both Haisham and Zihan were sentenced to life in prison (25 years) and were ordered to pay MVR1.3 million in compensation or diya.
20 January 2022
Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem hails the conviction of the two men who killed Yameen as a success while the Presidential Commission on Deaths and Disappearances begins its own investigation.
8 February 2022
The prosecutor general says he will decide on appealing the acquittals once the final report of the trial is shared by the criminal court.
17 April 2022
Prosecutors appeal the acquittal of Ismail Rasheed and Mohamed Dhifraan at the High Court.
21 April 2022
Haisham and Zihan appeal their conviction before the High Court.
26 June 2022
Following the presidential commission’s probe, police take three men into custody accused of having taken part in the murders of Yameen and the abduction of Maldives Independent journalist Ahmed Rilwan.
Those arrested are identified as Ahmed Ismail (Ahandhu), Ismail Abdul Raheem (Isu) and Ahmed Muaz (Gut Mua).
27 June 2022
During a remand hearing for the trio, the judge rules they should be detained until the end of the trial.
28 June 2022
The presidential commission recommends charges against the three and begins discussion with prosecutors.
1 August 2022
Ahmed Ismail (Ahandhu), Ismail Abdul Raheem (Isu) and Ahmed Muaz (Gut Mua) are charged with Rilwan’s abduction and Yameen’s murder.
Prosecutors say all three organised the crimes, including supporting the surveillance of the victims and assisted in carrying out the attacks.
Ahmed Ismail is charged with two counts of terrorism: one for planning an act of terrorism and one for aiding an act of terrorism. Ismail Abdul Raheem is charged with two counts of aiding an act of terrorism and Ahmed Muaz faces a charge of planning an act of terrorism.
26 September 2022
The criminal court decides to hold the trial against Ahmed Ismail, Ismail Abdul Raheem and Ahmed Muaz behind closed doors.
22 June 2023
Ahmed Ismail is released from pretrial detention with conditions.
5 July 2023
Prosecutors decide not to appeal Ahmed Ismail’s release.
12 July 2023
Ismail Abdul Raheem is released from pretrial detention with a monitoring order preventing him from travel or from leaving the house unless for a necessary activity.
13 October 2023
Case against Ahmed Ismail is thrown out as the criminal court says prosecutors had not submitted enough evidence for a conviction.
22 November 2023
Ismail Abdul Raheem and Ahmed Muaz are also released after their cases are dismissed due to an apparent lack of credible evidence.
22 July 2024
The trial for the appeal over the acquittal of Ismail Rasheed and Mohamed Dhifraan begins at the High Court, nine-months after the submission of the appeal by prosecutors.
30 July 2024
The appeal of the conviction against Ismail Haisham Rasheed and Ahmed Zihan Ismail begins at the High Court.
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