OTJ concludes pre-visit for prison torture closed hearings

The Ombudsperson’s Office for Transitional Justice (OTJ) has concluded its pre-visit tour in connection to the closed hearings to be held on complaints of allegations of human rights abuses, inhuman treatment and degrading torture in Maldivian prisons.

As per OTJ, a team from the office visited K. Maafushi Prison on Thursday, January 29, where they held one-on-one meetings with persons shortlisted from those who had registered to testify at the hearings. 

The purpose of these meetings was to brief the detainees about the closed hearing, inform them about the affidavit of no objection to testifying at these hearings, to have the affidavit signed, and to explain what testifiers should be aware of. In this regard, meetings were held with 26 individuals in total from which 22 signed the consent form.

The closed hearing on the alleged human rights violations, inhuman treatment and degrading torture in the prisons of the Maldives is scheduled to be held in three parts. The first part of the hearing will take place in Maafushi Prison, while the remaining hearings will be held in Male City and Asseyri Prison in K. Himmafushi.

OTJ states that 37 individuals signed up to testify at the hearing in Maafushi Prison while 12 have signed up to testify at the hearing in Male’ Prison, with two being shortlisted to testify in Asseyri Prison.