The Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) has shared all three of its reports on human rights violations, namely the report on human rights violations during the unrest in Male’ on 6 and 7 February, the report on human rights violations during the unrest in Male’ and Addu City on 8 February, and the investigation report on the arrest and detention of the Chief Judge of Criminal Court Abdullah Mohamed by MNDF.
President of HRCM Mariyam Azra said at a press conference held this afternoon at Youth Centre that the reports on the arrest and detention of the Chief Judge of Criminal Court and the events of 8 February had been shared with the relevant authorities on 29 May, while the report on the events of 6 and 7 February was shared with the relevant authorities on 16 August.
Azra clarified that the report on the events of 6 and 7 February is not an investigation report on the change of government. She denied rumours in this regard by political parties, and emphasised that HRCM had not investigated how the government was changed.
Azra stressed that the issue of some of these reports being leaked to the media before HRCM publicised them, will be investigated.
She added that Nasheed had refused to provide a statement on the events of 6 and 7 February.
HRCM’s report on the events of 6 and 7 February states that Nasheed’s order to remove the Police and MNDF personnel from the protest area on the night of 6 February was in violation of article 238 of the Constitution, which resulted in the violation of the rights of several Police officers, MNDF officers, and members of the public.
HRCM’s report on the arrest and detention of Judge Abdullah Mohamed states that the Judge was deprived of his rights guaranteed in the Constitution when he was arrested and detained in Girifushi, and that investigations had revealed that Nasheed was behind the Judge’s arrest. Investigations also revealed that it was former Defence Minister Thalhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaan who issued orders to MNDF based on Nasheed’s orders.
HRCM’s report on the events of 8 February states that people taken under arrest by the Police following the unrest on 8 February were deprived of their rights. In addition, it notes that the unrest created fear in the society, resulting in citizens being deprived of their rights.
It also states that if the Security Forces had taken the necessary action to control the unrest in Addu on 8 February, the damage to State property could have been minimised.
HRCM highlighted that all three reports are unbiased and were put together without the influence of any political party or any other person, and that the relevant authorities had been informed of the necessary action to be taken following HRCM’s presentation of these reports to them.