Ex-President Nasheed returns to Maldives

Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed has returned to Maldives after more than two years and nine months in exile.

Nasheed and his spouse, Laila Ali Abdulla arrived in Maldives on A SriLankan Airlines flights at 2:45 pm this Thursday. They were joined by opposition activists living in exile in Sri Lanka.

13-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE

Nasheed was found guilty of illegal detention of Judge Abdulla Mohamed, former Chief Judge of Criminal Court, and sentenced to 13 years in prison in March, 2015.

10 months into his prison sentence, Nasheed obtained permission from the State and travelled to the UK for a surgery in January, 2016.

He refused to return back to prison in Maldives, and obtained political asylum from the UK. He had been living in exile in the UK and neighboring Sri Lanka since.

OUTPOURING OF CRITICISM FROM INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

Multiple foreign States and international organizations have criticized the Maldivian government over Nasheed’s prosecution. Many questioned the fairness of the trial after the State cancelled the original charge against Nasheed and re-charged him under the Anti-Terrorism Act and concluded the trial within 19 days.

Nasheed’s attorneys filed a case with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, alleging the trial was riddled with irregularities and that his rights were overlooked during the trial.

UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found Nasheed’s detention violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and his basic human rights.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention instructed the Maldivian government to free Nasheed. But the instruction was ignored by the Maldivian government.

PRESSURE ON CURRENT ADMINISTRATION FROM EXILE

Nasheed levied immense pressure against President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom while living in exile. He formed the Maldives United Opposition (MUO) and played a key role in uniting opposition political parties and organizing a major offensive against Yameen’s administration.

Speaking during a guest lecture at SOAS University of London on October 19, Nasheed said that he had the support of the world’s largest democracies and the European Union who advocated for his freedom despite being treated Yameen’s administration as a major criminal.

“We used our freedom in Briton to meet with other political exiles from the Maldives. We exposed the human rights abuse happening back at home. We hired auditing firms to look in detail at what Yameen’s regime was up to. We gathered evidence showing President Yameen’s involvement in corruption and possibly murder,” said Nasheed.

DELAY IN EXECUTION OF SENTENCE

Following the victory of President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih (Ibu) over Yameen on September 27, Nasheed announced plans to return to Maldives on November 1 (today) “whatever happens”.

Opposition lawmakers submitted a motion to the People’s Majlis to pressure the Supreme Court and Prosecutor General’s Office to free Nasheed. And the Prosecutor General’s Office sent a request to the Supreme Court for a review of Nasheed’s sentence four days later.

Following the request, Supreme Court, on October 20, granted an injunction to delay execution of the 13-year sentence against Nasheed until the court completes its review and makes its decision.

“The court orders relevant State authorities not to have any action regarding the sentence issued by Criminal Court against Mohamed Nasheed from G. Canaryge in Male’ City,” reads the injunction issued by Supreme Court.