Politics
Lawyers step up campaign for Nasheed’s release, call for sanctions
Jared Genser, Amal Clooney, and Nasheed’s wife, Laila Ali, briefed the British press yesterday on the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s (WGAD) opinion, which said the opposition leader’s conviction in March was politically motivated and breached international law. The heavyweight lawyers are seeking “travel bans and targeted financial sanctions against Maldivian government officials who have been implicated in serious human rights abuses.”
06 Oct 2015, 09:00
Government submits bills on Maldivian citizenship, marine transport and GST
The government has submitted amendments to the 1969 Maldivian Citizenship Act to specify procedures for relinquishing citizenship and proposed changes to the 1978 law on sea travel to include new procedures for registering and collecting fees from marine vessels and to authorise the relevant ministry to formulate regulations to enforce the Maldives’ obligations under international treaties and maritime agreements.
06 Oct 2015, 09:00
Top Indian diplomat to visit the Maldives
Indian External Affairs Minister Shushma Swaraj is scheduled to arrive in the Maldives on October 10 for a two-day visit, The Maldives Independent understands.
05 Oct 2015, 09:00
Details revealed in UN opinion on Nasheed’s imprisonment
Ruling former President Mohamed Nasheed’s imprisonment arbitrary, a UN human rights panel has urged the Maldives to release him immediately and compensate him for losses.
05 Oct 2015, 09:00
PPM proposes pay cuts for city councilors
The ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) has proposed salary cuts of more than 50 percent for the Malé and Addu city councilors.
05 Oct 2015, 09:00
MDP MPs clamour for Nasheed’s release as parliament resumes after recess
Shortly after today’s sitting began at 9:00am, MDP MPs started chanting “Free President Nasheed” and held up banners that read, “Free President Nasheed in line with the UN decision.” The People’s Majlis reconvened for its third and final session of the year today after a one-month recess.
05 Oct 2015, 09:00
Head of president’s security replaced
Colonel Ahmed Fayaz ‘Papa,’ head of the president’s security detail, has been transferred to the post of Malé area commander and replaced with Colonel Ibrahim Rasheed. The changes follow a blast on the president’s speedboat last week, the cause of which remains unclear.
05 Oct 2015, 09:00
Saudi Arabia holds reception in Maldives to mark its National Day
Vice President Ahmed Adeeb and senior government officials attended the first ever ceremony of its kind on Thursday.
04 Oct 2015, 09:00
Police tightlipped over boat blast probe
The police have been taking statements from journalists who witnessed the incident from the Izzudin jetty as well as crew from the ‘Finifenma’ speedboat, parts of which have been sent abroad for forensic analysis. The police’s refusal to reveal updates of the investigation has fuelled speculation among the public, with suspicion cast on religious extremists and senior government officials.
04 Oct 2015, 09:00
Maldives calls for UN reform
The Maldives has called on the UN to reform itself to better address the needs of small island states and global challenges such as climate change.
04 Oct 2015, 09:00
Who said what? Foreign Minister’s meetings in New York
Dunya called the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s ruling on Nasheed’s imprisonment “arbitrary” in a meeting with the UN human rights chief, and sought to downplay the call by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to grant clemency to Nasheed.
03 Oct 2015, 09:00
UN opinion on Nasheed’s jailing revives Maldives opposition
A UN human rights panel’s finding that former President Mohamed Nasheed’s imprisonment on a terrorism charge was arbitrary has revived the opposition’s streets activities, while the government’s refusal to adhere to the decision has triggered a storm of criticism online.
03 Oct 2015, 09:00
Amnesty joins calls for Nasheed’s release
Human rights advocacy group Amnesty International has called on the Maldives to release former President Mohamed Nasheed or give him a fair trial, in the wake of the government’s rejection of a UN rights panel’s finding that his continuing imprisonment on a terrorism charge is arbitrary.
03 Oct 2015, 09:00
Jailed ex-defence minister to petition UN too
“We attempted to exhaust local remedies from the Maldivian judiciary, but it seems that the courts have absconded from trial by refusing to hold hearings,” Nazim’s lawyer Husnu Suood said. An appeal of Nazim’s conviction on weapons smuggling charges has been stalled since April.
01 Oct 2015, 09:00
MDP to scale up protests
“If the government refuses to abide by the recommendations and decisions of the UNWGAD, we will proceed with direct street action. MDP will protest relentlessly day and night,” Mohamed Shifaz, the vice president of MDP, said.
01 Oct 2015, 09:00
Court orders young man to cut hair “nice and short”
A magistrate court has conditioned the release of a young man arrested for assault on cutting and maintaining his hair “nice and short.” The judge said he would be jailed if he did not maintain a short haircut for three months.
01 Oct 2015, 09:00
MDP resumes street rallies
The main opposition party’s first street rally in three months attracted a crowd of about 200 people. Dozens of police officers made several attempts to obstruct the rally, but backed away after moving the protesters to the pavement.
30 Sep 2015, 09:00
Raajje TV journalist alleges attempted assault by government officials
Raajje TV COO Hussain Fiyaz Moosa alleged that Abdul Shukoor Abdulla, executive coordinator at the youth ministry, and Ahmed Mamdhooh, deputy managing director of the state-owned Maldives Road Development Corporation, attempted to assault him inside the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital on Monday.
30 Sep 2015, 09:00
Supreme Court assures of commitment to rule of law
The Supreme Court has reiterated its commitment to upholding the rule of law in the wake of an unexplained explosion on the presidential speedboat that injured the first lady and two staff.
30 Sep 2015, 09:00
UN finds Nasheed’s imprisonment illegal, government rejects ruling
Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s imprisonment on a terrorism charge is arbitrary, a UN rights group has ruled. The government, however, says “it does not accept the decision” and “will not be made to act on the basis of a non-binding opinion.”
30 Sep 2015, 09:00
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