Foreign Ministry
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Maldives red-faced over India UN vote ‘snub’
The Maldives was thrashed by Indonesia in the UN Security Council vote.
19 Jun 2018, 9:00 AM
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Maldives ‘rejects’ international criticism of defamation bill
The defamation bill “does not seek to criminalise free speech,” the government insists, claiming that it would “provide a layer of protection for those who may fall victim to scurrilous and defamatory articles and to ensure that such comment does not impact upon issues of religious sentiment or national security.”
02 Aug 2016, 9:00 AM
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Opposition condemns ‘unfair, politically motivated trials’
The government has meanwhile asserted the independence of the judiciary and insisted that a bomb caused the September 28 blast on the president’s speedboat: “Any suggestion to the contrary is merely scurrilous, and an obvious attempt to besmirch both the judiciary and the government.”
12 Jun 2016, 9:00 AM
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The Economist accused of defaming Maldives government
The government has reacted furiously to The Economist’s coverage of the new opposition coalition launched in London last week, accusing the magazine of being manipulated “to further an agenda that has, as its central aim, the unconstitutional removing of a democratically elected president”.
09 Jun 2016, 9:00 AM
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Maldives government denies involvement in journalist’s disappearance
Responding to the UN, the Maldivian foreign ministry said the government “rejected any suggestion that it is responsible for the disappearance of Rilwan, or that it has any involvement as alleged at all.”
10 May 2016, 9:00 AM
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Maldives cancels PR deal with Podesta
The government of Maldives has cancelled a US$300,000 PR deal with Washington-based lobbyist Podesta, following former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb’s arrest on a charge of plotting to kill President Abdulla Yameen.
16 Mar 2016, 9:00 AM
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Government defends imprisonment of ‘extremist’ Sheikh Imran
“Extremism does not necessarily take the form of religious extremism; a call by an individual to commit violence in the name of a political ideology is as dangerous, and must be dealt with in the same way,” the foreign ministry said in a statement defending Adhaalath Party leader Sheikh Imran’s terrorism conviction.
18 Feb 2016, 9:00 AM
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Japan opens resident embassy in Maldives
“The government of the Maldives believes that the new embassy would completely change the dynamics of Maldives-Japan relations as it will help open-up new avenues for cooperation that would propel relations to new heights,” the foreign ministry said.
03 Jan 2016, 9:00 AM
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Government denies Sri Lanka blacklisted foreign minister and MP
Newspaper Haveeru reported today that the pair were also held for more than an hour at the airport before being told they were blacklisted “by mistake.” Dunya and Faris – children of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom – reportedly traveled to Colombo on an unofficial visit in late December.
03 Jan 2016, 9:00 AM
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EU parliament debates targeted sanctions against Maldives
The European parliament is due to vote today on a resolution calling on member states to “freeze the assets abroad of members of the Maldives government and their leading supporters in the Maldivian business community and to impose a travel ban on them, in view of the continuous deterioration of the human rights situation in the country.”
17 Dec 2015, 9:00 AM
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Supreme Court to consider UN ruling on Nasheed’s imprisonment
“The government has maintained the position that the opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is one that should be considered by the Supreme Court. This will now be done given that the Court has accepted the appeal already filed by the Prosecutor General, with substantive arguments to be heard at a later date,” the foreign ministry said today.
14 Dec 2015, 9:00 AM
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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, 9:00 AM
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High hopes for UN opinion on Nasheed’s imprisonment
After months of street protests, hundreds of arrests, and failed talks, the opposition and civil society groups hope a UN opinion on Nasheed’s imprisonment will provide a way forward. But will the government abide by a ruling favorable to Nasheed?
30 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM
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Podesta Group hired to “whitewash” government’s crimes
“Government officials are clearly rattled at the prospect of facing targeted sanctions. But rather than doing the right thing and freeing the political prisoners, they are spending amounts of public money on foreign lobbyists, who will try to whitewash their crimes,” said Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, the MDP’s international spokesman.
28 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM
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Government criticises UN rights chief over ‘inappropriate’ calls for Nasheed’s release
“To seek the release of an individual purely on the basis of his political standing and having [no] regard to the allegations against him is inappropriate, and clearly seeks to circumvent the rule of law,” the foreign ministry said after Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussain urged the government to release the former president “given the deeply tainted nature of [his] case.”
14 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM
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Government assures investigation of alleged bugging of ex-president’s meeting with lawyers
Following international media coverage of the alleged secret surveillance, the prisons authority said in a statement – posted in English on Twitter by the foreign ministry yesterday – that the “suggestion that the Maldives Correctional Services or the government is responsible for this infringement is wholeheartedly rejected.”
12 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM
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Maldivian pilgrims ‘safe and accounted for’ after crane crash at Grand Mosque
All 2,000 Maldivian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia are safe and accounted for after a crane collapse at the Grand Mosque in Mecca last night left at least 107 people dead and 238 injured.
12 Sep 2015, 9:00 AM
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UN unveils development agenda for Maldives
The government and the United Nations signed the UN Development Assistance Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) yesterday, a four-year strategic programme framework to deliver results in the areas of youth and children, gender, governance, environment and climate change.
25 Aug 2015, 9:00 AM
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Government responds to UN on ex-president’s terrorism trial
The Maldivian government, in a response to the UN working group on arbitrary detention today, contended a terrorism conviction against former president Mohamed Nasheed was not politically motivated and that allegations of lack of due process is factually incorrect.
10 Jul 2015, 2:10 PM
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Efforts to put Maldives on CMAG agenda unsuccessful, says foreign ministry
The Maldives is not on the agenda of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) despite “efforts made by some of the most powerful countries in the Commonwealth to place the Maldives on the group’s agenda and harm the nation,” the foreign ministry has said.
06 Jul 2015, 4:56 PM