Concern over prolonged remand for boat blast suspects
The criminal court has been periodically extending the remand detention of several boat blast suspects. Most of them, including Ahmed Ashraf and Hamid Ismail, are now detained on charges that are not related to the blast.
13 Jan 2016, 9:00 AM
The criminal court has extended Monday the remand detention of a teenage suspect arrested over the September 28 blast on the president’s speedboat for a sixth time.
Ahmed Ashraf, a social media activist known as Shumba Gong and a close associate of detained Vice President Ahmed Adeeb, was arrested in Sri Lanka on November 1 in connection to the alleged attempt to assassinate President Abdulla Yameen.
A reliable source told The Maldives Independent that although Ashraf was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the boat blast, the 18-year-old was interrogated for allegedly threatening Ahmed Zahid, a council member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives.
“He is being accused of violating section 122 of the penal code, which relates to threatening and spreading of false news, but this is a misdemeanour, not a felony. There is no reason why a young boy must be incarcerated for months on end for this,” the source said.
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