Tuesday roundup: transitional justice and new commercial port

The Attorney General’s office on Tuesday shared draft legislation on transitional justice with the president’s office for submission to parliament.

As pledged during President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s campaign last year, the purpose of the proposed law is to investigate “organised and systematic” violations of human rights and basic freedoms by state institutions or senior officials between January 1, 2012 and November 17, 2019 and to establish a legal framework to provide justice and redress for victims, the AG office explained.

The law would establish a transitional justice ombudsman office to investigate systematic human rights abuses committed by state officials, hold them accountable and identify the reasons, nature and scope of such actions. Based on the findings of its probes, the ombudsman office can seek criminal charges or civil litigation respectively through the Prosecutor General’s office and AG office.