Home Minister Umar Naseer has said that government would not release former President Mohamed Nasheed from prison in spite of opposition – Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) demands to do so.
Speaking in an interview with national television channel – Television Maldives (TVM) – Home Minister said firmly that the government would not release Nasheed, and that MDP go and knock on the doors of courts in Maldives if they believed Nasheed imprisoning a judge for 22 days was not a crime.
“They will need to prove that imprisoning Judge Abdulla for 22 days was not a crime. President Nasheed will not be released until they can prove this,” he said.
Addressing the demands of opposition to release former Defense Minister Colonel (Retired) Mohamed Nazim and Adhaalath Party leader Imran Abdulla, Minister Umar said that their trial was ongoing and that government would therefore not interfere in it.
When asked about the brutal murder of religious scholar and politician – Dr. Afrasheem Ali and the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Abdulla Rilwan Ahmed, he said that the two cases were still under investigation.
“Those cases are still under investigation. They are talking about matters still under investigation. The top relevant authorities in Maldives are investigating the cases and some people are being prosecuted. This is still ongoing in accordance with rules and regulation set in Maldives,” he said.
Minister Umar was also asked about the opposition demand for an open dialogue. He said that government was always open to discussions with other political parties. And that the opportunity for an open dialogue was still open, as said previously.
This isn’t the first time for Minister Umar to say that Nasheed would not be released. He had said previously that Nasheed, in addition to imprisoning Judge Abdulla, had also padlocked shut the doors of Supreme Court during his presidency. And that the government was therefore not going to release him.