Supreme Court overturns Home Minister Imran’s terrorism conviction

A three-judge panel ruled unanimously that the lower courts failed to properly assess the prosecution’s evidence.

Imran was found guilty of inciting violence at the 25,000-strong protest march. The widely condemned verdict in early 2016 marked the first terrorism sentence passed in the Maldives over a speech made at a political gathering.

Imran joined several other politicians to be released from prison or return from exile after former president Abdulla Yameen’s heavy defeat in September’s polls. The Supreme Court suspended the sentence on November 1 to review its previous decision to reject Imran’s appeal.