Mariya: Govt’s 'dismissive' attitude in Athuhar’s death damaging police reputation

The claims by politicians and government ministers that there is “nothing to investigate” in the custodial death of Adam Athuhar is damaging the reputation of the police, says Mariya Ahmed Didi, the country’s former defense minister.

Athuhar, 32, was arrested from Male’ City on the night of August 29 after he held a woman hostage at knifepoint and attempted to evade arrest. The police hit him in the back of the head with a baton to rescue the woman. He was treated at two different hospitals in Male’ before he was taken to Dhoonidhoo.

He was rushed to the Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in Male’ on September 1 after he was found hanging in his jail cell in an apparent suicide attempt. He was treated on a ventilator at the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit and was pronounced dead at 04:08 pm on September 2.

The main opposition, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), has expressed concern over his death, and accused state institutions of failing to properly monitor his condition and intervene.

At MDP’s ‘Havaru Beru’ panel discussion on Monday night, Mariya blamed the government, especially Home Minister Ali Ihusan, over the death.

She said that it was “regrettable” that Ihusan disregarded the concerns of Athuhar’s family and claimed there was nothing to investigate in the case.

“What’s most concerning in this is, and I am not under any circumstances justifying his [Athuhar’s] actions. But it is regrettable for the government, the home minister, to come out and say that there is nothing to look into, and that it does not require investigating,” she said.

Mariya said that the custodial death should be the subject of a parliamentary inquiry. She said that government ministers have a duty to assure the public that such matters will be investigated.

She accused the government of encroaching on the powers of the police and damaging the reputation of the law enforcement agency.

“There is a Police Board there. There are internal mechanisms in place within the police to investigate such matters. There is an Integrity Commission. But because government ministers aren’t allowing space for the police to work and making such public comments, it is damaging the reputation of the police in the eyes of the public,” she said.

Mariya said that in the eyes of the law, what is most important for victims of crimes is that their assailant get the punishment they deserve. She said that suspects in police custody should have the opportunity to evade justice and commit suicide.

She said that it is the responsibility of the state to ensure that does not happen.

Mariya said that the Prisons and Parole Act clearly states how detainees must be treated, including that they must be monitored via CCTV cameras.

Information shared by the police show that it took 30 minutes before officers viewing security cameras found Athuhar hanging in his jail cell. It took another 23 minutes to take him to IGMH.

The police conducted an autopsy to determine the cause of death despite resistance from his family, who claim foul play.

The autopsy was carried out overseas last weekend, and his body was transported back to Male’ and buried on Sunday.

A number of rights groups have expressed concern over the circumstances leading to Athuhar’s death, including the use of force by the police during his arrest and the decision to place Athuhar in remand given his health and medical condition.

They called for a free and independent investigation into both his arrest and his death.

The case is under investigation by the National Integrity Commission (NIC) and the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM).