Nasheed’s case set for Monday

The Supreme Court hearing to review the the 13-year prison sentence against the former President, Mohamed Nasheed, has been set for next Monday.  

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.  

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. 

Now with a stay ordered on the sentence has been issued by the Supreme Court and the case is up for review, Nasheed’s response have been submitted to court last Thursday.