CP Munaz: Video of unconscious prisoner a farce

Maldives Corrections Services has stated that a video circulating on social media showing an unconscious prisoner being carried away was a ruse.

At a news conference held in Maldives Correctional Services, Commissioner of Prisons Abdulla Munaz stated that the video was shot by prisoners who smuggled a phone into the prison.

“The video was shot on a phone smuggled inside the prison. It was a movie played by inmates in the prison, that depicted an unconscious man being carried away. We have video footage of how the inmate (who acted unconscious) behaved when he was taken out. We will provide the video to the authorities. The truth can be known only when both sides of the events are presented.” said Munaz.

Munaz also stated that no corrections officer would go near an inmate without a video camera. Corrections have all the video footage and would be shared with Police, according to Munaz,

Video footage of inmates on their knees in a courtyard of the Maafushi prison was circulated on January 5, 2020. Mu7naz stated that these videos were also taken from a phone smuggled into the prison and was circulated in a misleading manner.

Munaz stated that the inmates were on their knees in the courtyard after being pepper-sprayed by corrections officers. The inmates had obstructed officers from searching their cells after hurling food and other objects at officers. The inmates were receiving “aftercare” when the video was shot.

The commissioner then stated that efforts were being made to tackle the issue of phones smuggled into the prison and that 277 phones were confiscated last year alone.