Drastic changes planned for new penal code
The Supreme Court is planning to submit extensive changes to the new penal code due to come into force on July 16. A reliable source has told Minivan News that the changes are modelled on South Sudan’s penal code and will undo a decade’s work of modernising the criminal justice system.
05 Jul 2015, 9:10 PM
Zaheena Rasheed
The judiciary is planning to submit drastic changes this week to the new penal code due to come into force on July 16, Minivan News has learned.
A reliable source told Minivan News that the proposed changes are modelled on South Sudan’s penal code and will undo a decade’s work of modernising the Maldives’ criminal justice system.
“The new penal code is very modern, drafted over 10 years with the participation of several sectors. The planned changes will set us back by 50 years,” the source said.
The existing penal code was adopted in 1968 and has been criticised as draconian, outdated and not in line with the Maldives’ obligations under international human rights conventions.
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