Politics
“I will go back to the Maldives”: Nasheed calls for escalating pressure with sanctions
Flanked by his heavyweight lawyers Jared Genser, Amal Clooney, and Ben Emmerson, the opposition leader stressed that his temporary release does not signal an end to the “repression” of President Abdulla Yameen’s administration. Nasheed said Yameen only felt “compelled to act” when faced with the threat of sanctions.
25 Jan 2016, 09:00
CNM journalist barred from Imran’s terrorism trial
Misbah Abbas, senior desk editor at CNM, told The Maldives Independent that he was barred days after he reported Judge Bari threatening journalists over allegedly unfair coverage of the Adhaalath Party leader’s terrorism trial. Despite registering for yesterday’s hearing, Misbah was told that “the judge has decided not to let the CNM journalists inside.”
25 Jan 2016, 09:00
Yameen hits back at corruption allegations
The president’s office has hit back at allegations of President Abdulla Yameen’s involvement in misappropriating funds from tourism leases, insisting that rumors of state funds being deposited in the president’s personal bank accounts were baseless.
25 Jan 2016, 09:00
Police claim teenage boat blast suspect ‘may kill’ if released from remand
A lawyer representing Ahmed ‘Shumba Gong’ Ashraf said: “The police have previously said he is influencing witnesses and my client is being investigated for allegedly sending threat messages, but it is absurd that they now claim he might kill someone.”
24 Jan 2016, 09:00
Staff at state-owned companies sign for ruling party
A number of staff from the state-owned Maldives Transport and Construction Company have signed for the ruling party amid reports that state employees were forced to attend the Progressive Party of Maldives rally Thursday night.
24 Jan 2016, 09:00
Jumhooree Party MP switches to ruling party
Of the 15 JP MPs elected to the parliament in March 2014, seven have now switched to the PPM. With its latest recruit, the ruling party now has 47 MPs in the 85-member house.
24 Jan 2016, 09:00
Court hears anonymised testimony in Imran’s terrorism trial
The criminal court heard today anonymised witness testimony that claimed Sheikh Imran Abdulla’s absence from a historic anti-government rally on May Day had led to violent clashes between protesters and police officers.
24 Jan 2016, 09:00
Democracy Week rescheduled for February
The Elections Commission is preparing to celebrate ‘Democracy Week’ in February with a door-to-door campaign, debate, poster and essay competitions, quizzes, beach sports, and a family evening. The event was first scheduled to take place on October 10 last year, but was delayed after the September 28 blast on President Abdulla Yameen’s speedboat, which the government insists was an assassination attempt.
24 Jan 2016, 09:00
President Yameen ‘lies’ about two-year accomplishments
President Abdulla Yameen falsely claimed that the family law has been amended to allow for the equitable distribution of marital property after divorce due to a “mistake” in the written speech, his spokesperson has said. Yameen said the amendments have been ratified, but the legislation is still at committee stage.
23 Jan 2016, 09:00
Nasheed meets UK Prime Minister in London
Cameron assured the Maldives’ opposition leader that “the UK would continue to raise concerns about the erosion of democracy and wider situation in the Maldives and it would also continue to discuss the situation with international partners, including how best the international community can make its concerns clear to the Maldivian government,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.
23 Jan 2016, 09:00
Translation of President Yameen’s January 21 speech
President Abdulla Yameen, in his first public address of the year, reflects on opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed’s temporary release from jail, and lists his government’s achievements in the youth, health and education sectors.
23 Jan 2016, 09:00
Imran asks for change of judge in terrorism trial
Sheikh Imran Abdulla, the president of the Adhaalath Party, has requested a change of judge in an on going trial on terrorism charges, claiming that the presiding judge was prejudiced against him.
21 Jan 2016, 09:00
Nasheed to meet UK press on Monday
“In this press conference, President Nasheed and his lawyers will assess the political situation in the Maldives and highlight the human rights abuses still ongoing in a country most people associate with tropical paradise,” the former president’s international legal team said in a press statement today.
21 Jan 2016, 09:00
Supreme Court warns of action against judges over stalled trials
The apex court issued a circular yesterday saying that it will hear complaints from defendants and prosecutors and take action against judges if a trial has been delayed for an unreasonable amount of time. Stalled cases would then be “reassigned to another judge of the presiding court” or “reassigned to a judicial delegation chosen by the Supreme Court.”
21 Jan 2016, 09:00
New court buildings require Supreme Court approval
The criminal court’s move to set up a courtroom in a police remand facility has prompted the Supreme Court to remind judges that new buildings require its’ approval.
20 Jan 2016, 09:00
Nasheed meets top diplomats in Colombo
Following his temporary release from jail, former President Mohamed Nasheed met today with the heads of diplomatic missions in Colombo and expressed the need for dialogue between the opposition and the Maldivian government, according to sources.
20 Jan 2016, 09:00
Customers leaving Dhiraagu in protest against chairman’s ‘plane crash’ comments
Customers of local telco Dhiraagu are switching en masse to its competitor after the company’s chairman sparked outrage with a Facebook comment wishing former President Mohamed Nasheed’s plane to Colombo would “land in the middle of the ocean.”
20 Jan 2016, 09:00
Ministers questioned over tourism corruption scandal
The anti-corruption watchdog has questioned Attorney General Mohamed Anil and Fisheries Minister Mohamed Shainee over missing funds from several islands leased for resort development by the government-owned Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation.
20 Jan 2016, 09:00
India to donate military aircraft, new helicopter to Maldives
India has promised the Maldivian military a fixed-wing aircraft and a second helicopter, according to Defence Minister Adam Shareef, who is currently in New Delhi on an official visit.
20 Jan 2016, 09:00
Participants of PPM rally will be subject to security checks
The rally will be the first official PPM event since April 2014 with President Abdulla Yameen and party leader former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in attendance. In the wake of the September 28 blast on his speedboat, which the government says was an assassination attempt, Yameen’s rare public appearances have taken place with heightened security by both the military and the police.
20 Jan 2016, 09:00
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