Maldives Govt. claims international double standards on criticism of Nasheed trial

Tuesday, 17 March 2015 01:28 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Malik Gunatilleke The Maldives Government branded the international scrutiny over former President Mohamed Nasheed’s sentencing as unjust and unwarranted criticism for a situation that does not exist. Speaking at a press conference held at the Maldivian High Commission in Colombo yesterday, a high-ranking delegation from the Maldives, which included its Foreign Affairs Minister and Attorney General, claimed that the Maldives was being unfairly judged by the rest of the world over a “free and fair trial” which saw its first democratically-elected leader jailed. Former President of Maldives and Opposition Leader Mohamed Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in prison after being found guilty of terrorism. The charges stem from the detention of Criminal Court Chief Justice Abdulla Mohamed during his presidency in 2012. The charges were laid by the Prosecutor General of the Maldives under the Anti-Terrorism Act that prohibits kidnapping and abduction while the charges were based on the investigations conducted by the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives back in 2012. Initial charges of abuse of power and illegal arrest were subsequently changed to more serious charges of terrorism. In the wake of a seemingly short trial, the international community has expressed concerns over the legitimacy of the charges and the manner in which the arrest was carried out.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dunya Maumoon stated that the Government of the Maldives does not interfere in the judicial process and despite allegations that the charges were trumped up, the whole world, including the US, UK, UN and the entire legal profession in the country, had condemned the detention of the judge back in 2012. “The trial and sentencing of Mr. Nasheed shows that people of authority have to be accountable for their actions whilst in office. The culture of impunity cannot be allowed to grow and be cultivated in any democratic society,” she stated. Conveying current Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen’s request for the world to respect the verdict of the court, she stated that Nasheed’s democratic right of appeal would be respected. However, foreign media reports suggest that Nasheed’s appeal had been thrown out by the High Court after Nasheed had allegedly refused to appear in court. Sources revealed that his absence stemmed from the court’s refusal to hold a public hearing. In response to questions regarding the manner in which the trial was conducted, Minister Maumoon stated that the trial was held in accordance with the prevailing laws and criminal procedures of the country. “He was afforded his rights fully and he had access to lawyers but he refused to access the legal counsel or the lawyers actually gave up and did not come to court,” she said while claiming that the opposition party was spreading false information about the custodial status of the former President. Hypocritical criticism Maumoon said that the Maldives was willing to engage with the international community regarding their concerns but went on to reveal that an element of hypocrisy was evident in the criticism the present Maldivian Government garnered by implementing the law. Commenting on the Government’s reaction to international attention on the trial and its ramifications, she stated: “We are concerned but not unduly concerned. We have reached out to our partners to clarify some of the misconceptions regarding this case. We don’t believe that this would lead to any serious actions.” Weighing in on the issue, Maldivian Tourism Minister Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor stated that criticism from foreign nations was unjust and displayed double standards because the Maldives was a small nation and a Muslim country. Admitting that this was the only incident in recent history where a former President and Opposition Leader was imprisoned, he pointed out that nowhere else in the world, where democracy is practiced, has a Head of State kidnapped a judge without a legal arrest warrant being issued. “He was taken hostage where for 48 hours nobody knew where he was. The Human Rights Commission (of Maldives) has done investigations into this and said that it was a kidnapping,” he said. He went on to give assurances over the tourism industry in the Maldives, stating that the partners have been briefed and the industry has not suffered as a result of the controversy. With major investments and campaigns to be launched in the coming years, the Minister claimed that tourism, which is the backbone of the country, would continue to flourish. The Attorney General of Maldives Mohamed Anil highlighted that the charges were not only levelled against Nasheed but also four others. The trials of the other suspects are however still ongoing. “We are a very young democratic country. We embraced a very democratic constitution back in 2008 and yet we have been unable to bring in the necessary changes to our systems, to the laws, to the institutions,” he said. He assured that the present Government of the Maldives was committed to bringing these systems and institutions in line with international standards. He explained that constitutional and legal systems in Maldives were largely homebred and with a progressive system in place the country was able to bring in a modern constitution. When questioned as to whether the former President was sentenced in accordance with a system that needs change in order to match international standards, the Attorney General stated that those who were facing trials were going through the current laws but also added that work was being done to amend the laws in accordance with the expected standards.