Government criticises UN rights chief over ‘inappropriate’ calls for Nasheed’s release
“To seek the release of an individual purely on the basis of his political standing and having [no] regard to the allegations against him is inappropriate, and clearly seeks to circumvent the rule of law,” the foreign ministry said after Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussain urged the government to release the former president “given the deeply tainted nature of [his] case.”
14 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM
The foreign ministry has slammed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussain’s renewed calls today for the release of former President Mohamed Nasheed.
In his opening statement at the 30th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Zeid said the “rule of law continues to be manipulated for political ends” by the government.
“I was initially encouraged by the government’s decision in July to move former President Nasheed to house arrest for health reasons and to appeal his conviction after a flawed trial,” he said.
“But the decision to return him to prison last month, and pursuit of a further criminal investigation against his family, are serious setbacks. Given the deeply tainted nature of this case, I urge the government to release him, and to review several hundred pending criminal cases against opposition supporters in relation to protests in recent months.”
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