Government defends imprisonment of ‘extremist’ Sheikh Imran
“Extremism does not necessarily take the form of religious extremism; a call by an individual to commit violence in the name of a political ideology is as dangerous, and must be dealt with in the same way,” the foreign ministry said in a statement defending Adhaalath Party leader Sheikh Imran’s terrorism conviction.
18 Feb 2016, 9:00 AM
The government has defended the imprisonment of Sheikh Imran Abdulla on a terrorism charge, linking the Adhaalath Party leader’s speech at a mass anti-government rally on May 1 last year to extremism.
Imran was found guilty of inciting violence in his speech at the 20,000-strong protest march and sentenced to 12 years in prison Tuesday night.
“The world faces an existential threat from extremist ideologies and the Maldives is committed to ensuring that such ideologies are not allowed to prosper within these islands,” the foreign ministry said in a statement yesterday.
“Extremism does not necessarily take the form of religious extremism; a call by an individual to commit violence in the name of a political ideology is as dangerous, and must be dealt with in the same way.”
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