Court bars defence witnesses in Imran’s terror trial
The criminal court has barred all defence witnesses in the on-going trial of Sheikh Imran Abdulla who was charged with terrorism over a speech made at a historic anti-government protest on May Day.
30 Jan 2016, 9:00 AM
The criminal court has barred all defence witnesses in the on-going trial of Sheikh Imran Abdulla who was charged with terrorism over a speech made at a historic anti-government protest on May Day.
Ali Zahir, who represents the Islamist Adhaalath Party president, told the Maldives Independent that the court claimed they could not no longer accept defence witnesses because lawyers did not declare intent to summon witnesses at the trial’s outset.
“All five of our witnesses were barred. When the trial began, we had no information on how the trial would proceed, we only knew the charge. We wanted to submit defence testimony when we heard the prosecution’s witnesses and when the judge himself said he would call a witness,” he said.
The state had called an anonymous witness during a hearing last week. He was summoned by the state to support its argument that Imran’s speech at the 20,000-strong demonstration had resulted in clashes.
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