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
Amnesty International has called on the Maldivian authorities to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation into the “brutal stabbing in broad daylight” of lawyer Mahfooz Saeed in Malé yesterday.
The international human rights organisation said in a statement on Friday night that the “police must undertake a full, impartial and independent investigation, using all available information including any footage from nearby CCTV cameras.”
Mahfooz, a member of former President Mohamed Nasheed’s legal team as well as the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) legal committee, was stabbed in the head by two men on motorbikes around 5:00pm. He was rushed to hospital with the knife still buried in the left side of his head.
The 26-year-old underwent surgery at the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital to remove the knife lodged three and a half inches deep above his left ear. The three-hour procedure was successful and Mahfooz is expected to recover in a week as his eyesight and brain functions were not affected.
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