Archive for June, 2010

The detained two MPs Can go home Rules the Judge

Tonight at around 11:30pm the criminal court of Maldives gave a judgement after long deliberation. The chief judge of criminal court Mr. Abdulla Mohamed issued a judgement that the detained two MPs can straight go to their home with their lawyers. They would be under house arrest for three days starting from today. The lawyers of Hon. Qasim Ibrahim are Dr. Hasssan Saeed and Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and the Lawyer of Hon. Abdulla Yameen Abdulla Gayyoon is Uz. Aazima Shakoor.

The reason for the house arrest

The reasons for house arrest of the two MPs are due to their own safety and the safety of the society according to the judgement.

The MPs will be able to attend parliament sessions and parliament committee meetings

The presiding judge Mr. Abdulla Mohamed very strongly noted the fact that allegations of the government are baseless. The criminal court also rejected Maldives Police request to retain them in police custody. The judgement also allows Hon. Qasim Ibrahim and Hon. Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom will be free to attend parliament sessions and parliament committee meeting during the 3 day house arrest period.

The effect of the Case

The effect of the case is that the government’s allegation against the detainees has failed. The police allegation was that if the two detainees were let free they would bribe the parliamentarians. The judge did not accept this argument.

The high court hearing is now over for both the detained MPs. They are waiting for a judgment shortly. Meanwhile, the detained two MPs are accompanied by their lawyers to Criminal Court of the Maldives to protest against issuing a remand order. The remand hearing will start for Hon. Yameen at 1800hrs while remand hearing for Hon. Qasim will start at 1930. The constitution prohibits detention of people and retains them under police custody for more than 24 hours without a court order. The criminal court is located one block away from the country’s high court. The area remains cordoned off for public and government is giving minimal information regarding the process.

Our reporter in the high court area has reported that a final judgment will be issued tomorrow at 11am.

Some of the Opposition members of the parliament still remain at the Parliament House. The streets in the capital Male’ remain tense. President Nasheed’s MDP has mobilized their activists in their camp which is located in front the TVM which is the state broadcaster. It is a frequent complaint from members of parliament and opposition that MDP activists harass people who come out after participating various TV program which are critical to Nasheed’s government.

The parliament has yesterday tabled a broadcasting bill which could have freed the state media from MDP propaganda. However, government aligned members disrupted the proceedings of Peoples Majlis.

Breaking News is coming from our sources inside the high court building that Hon. Qasim Ibrahim former speaker of constitutional assembly is in the court room with his lawyers Dr. Hassan Saeed and Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed.

Our sources within VTV a local broadcaster has informed us that State Minister of Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Thoyyib Mohamed who is also married to a relative of president Nasheed has called VTV and threatened to cut points from their license if any opposition views are broadcasted. And also threatened saying that “cut you guys into size”

The same ministry has cut 5 points from another private broadcaster for broadcasting a live opposition gathering during the first quarter of this year. The freedom of expression is a constitutional right in Maldives. The actions of Thoyyib are unconstitutional. He is the most senior political appointee following the resignation of Minister Dr. Ahmed Ali Sawad. Mr. Thoyyib currently runs the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture whose mandate includes regulating the media.

Breaking News is coming from our sources inside the high court building that Hon. Yameen is in the court room with his lawyer Uz. Azima Shakoor.

Hon. Qasim and Hon. Yameen appear before court. They are been taken from the notorious Dhoonidhoo jail and now in the court room. The hearing is going to start at 14:30. Their lawyers Dr. Hassan Saeed, Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, Uz Aazima Shakoor are in the high court.

It is a shame that the country’s human rights commission has so far failed to react the human rights injustice done by the Nasheed’s government on the democratically elected members of the parliament. It’s not fist time that president Nasheed has threatened parliamentarians.

It is obvious that former speaker of constitutional Assembly Hon. Qasim Ibrahim and Leader of Peoples Alliance Party and chairman of national security committee of the parliament has been arrested under political motivations.

Government’s arrest notice

High Court hearing on the detained MPs at 14:30 today.

Meantime, both the MPs are still been detained in the notorious Dhoonidhoo jail which is located in an uninhabited island near the capital Male’.

The welfare of the two detainees are unknown. The 24 hour detention time limit will expire tonight at 19:30. The current detention is also unconstitutional. A further detention beyond 19:30 today will put serious illegal and constitutional issues.

The capital Male’ remains highly tense.