Munaz: Guard attacked after he refused to smuggle in contraband

The attack on the prison guard, which preceded the use of excessive force on inmates at Maafushi Prison on June 10, took place when the guard refused an inmate’s request to smuggle in contraband, says Commissioner of Prisons, Abdulla Munaz.

Munaz was summoned by the Security and Bilateral Relations Committee of the Parliament for questioning regarding the violence at Maafushi Prison this Saturday evening.

In response to questions by the committee, Munaz said the incident was under investigation, and that initial findings showed that the original incident which led to the violence from the prison guards was an attack on a guard by an inmate.

“What happened was an inmate at a cell asked a guard to smuggle in contraband. The guard refused. [The inmate] Said this or that person doesn’t refuse. [The guard] Said he won’t. It seems he got angry and hit [the guard],” said Munaz.

He said that the inmate, when questioned, had confessed to getting angry both at the guard’s refusal to do something which he said other guards agreed to, and his tone of voice.

“The investigation needs to be completed before we can determine what happened. What’s established is the inmate has confessed to hitting the guard,” said Munaz.

Munaz said that six inmates were treated for injuries following the use of excessive force by the guard.