Amnesty slams Maldives for lack of action on judicial reform

Amnesty International has slammed President Abdulla Yameen’s administration over its failure to address mounting concern over judicial independence.

The human rights group’s annual report on the Maldives, released last week, highlighted judicial overreach and independence, as well as “grossly unfair” trials against opponents as areas of concern.

Judicial impartiality remained a serious concern that the government has failed to address, the report said.

“The authorities frequently claimed that they would not address any complaints against the judiciary because courts were independent. At the same time, the government failed to strengthen the Judicial Services Commission to enable it to address impartiality and other issues related to the judiciary,” the report stated.