Cherie Blair speaks out against sanctions on the Maldives

Cherie Blair has spoken out against the call for targeted sanctions on the Maldives by jailed former President Mohamed Nasheed’s lawyers.

In a joint statement with Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon today, Blair said: “Sanctions are imposed in exceptional circumstances to force compliance with international law, where there is a threat to peace, or where they are imposed in response to a specific policy. They ought not be used when dealing with a single individual. Further, the use of such sanctions threatens the economic stability of the Maldives.”

Blair is the chair of Omnia Strategy, a London-based firm, employed by the Maldivian government for an undisclosed fee to respond to a petition filed by Nasheed at the UN working group on arbitrary detention requesting a ruling on his imprisonment.

Nasheed’s international lawyers Amal Clooney and Jared Genser said last week that they would pursue sanctions such as travel bans on government officials if the opposition leader is not released following the UN’s ruling.