A 57-year-old man held in pre-trial detention at a remand centre in Malé died on Tuesday morning – the second custodial death in less than a month.
Ahmed Lugman, the information officer of the Maldives Correctional Services, identified the deceased to local media as Adam Ali, from the island of Fenfushi in Alif Dhaalu atoll.
Ali fainted in his cell around 8:15am, Lugman said, and was rushed to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in about five minutes, where he was pronounced dead by doctors.
Both the cause of death and the charges he was facing are unclear. Lugman was not responding to calls at the time of publications.
Ali was buried after Isha prayers on Tuesday night.
According to newspaper Mihaaru, he was on trial on a charge of child abuse.
The police spokesman said the case is under investigation.
In late August, a 55-year-old man died en route to the hospital in Malé from a police remand facility on the island of Dhoonidhoo, ten minutes by speedboat from the capital.
Moosa Naeem was buried after the family decided not to ask for a postmortem.
The death prompted allegations on social media of Naseem being denied regular health checkups. He was reportedly taking medication for a heart disease.
The watchdog bodies, Human Rights Commission and National Integrity Commission, meanwhile launched inquiries.
Recent custodial deaths in Maldives include the death of a 23-year-old who died of apparent natural causes at the Maafushi jail in May 2014. He had complained of chest pains before his death.
In 2014, Ibrahim Azar died from severe injuries inflicted by his cell mates. According to the prisons authority, Azar had requested to be transferred from his cell more than an hour before the assault
Other high-profile custodial deaths include that of Hussain Solah, who was found dead in Malé’s lagoon in 2007, and of 19-year-old Evan Naseem, who was tortured to death by prison guards in 2003.
Evan’s murder triggered riots and fuelled a pro-democracy movement that unseated former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom after 30 years in power.
