Home minister opposes lifting restrictions on freedom of assembly
The freedom of assembly law presently requires written permission from the police.
27 Nov 2019, 9:00 AM
Restrictions imposed on street protests by the previous administration should not be completely reversed, Home Minister Imran Abdulla told a parliament committee on Wednesday.
The 2013 Freedom of Peaceful Assembly Act was amended in 2016 to restrict planned gatherings and marches in the capital to areas designated by the home ministry, which later picked the carnival area in Malé’s eastern waterfront. The law was changed to require written permission from the police to gather in other areas.
Accompanied by police chief Mohamed Hameed, the home minister appeared at the national security and foreign relations committee, which is reviewing legislation proposed to abolish the 2016 amendments.
Sheikh Imran told lawmakers that the government was committed to ensuring the right to peaceful assembly as widely as possible but contended that it could be done without reversing the restrictions.
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