The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights delegation has on Thursday concluded their five-day visit to the Maldives.
Led by Chief of Rule of Law Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mona Rishwami, the delegation’s visit was to get updates on the state party reports to the treaty bodies, engagement with special procedures and the UN Human Rights Council and to assess how OHCHR can assist in the Government efforts to improve the human right situation in the Maldives.
As part of the meeting, OHCHR agreed to provide a human rights advisor that would be based in the Maldives to advise and assist the government in fulfilling its human rights obligations.
Rishwami was accompanied by Associate Expert, Chiaki Ota.
The UN delegation had held meetings with key cabinet minister during their visit.
Some of the officials they met with include Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Home Affairs Sheikh Imran Abdulla, Minister of Gender and Family Shidhatha Shareef, Minister of Arts Culture and Heritage, Yumna Maumoon, Minister at the President’s Office, Ahmed Naseem and Minister of State for Environment Dr. Abdulla Naseer. Meeting were also held with Parliament Speaker Qasim Ibrahim and Prosecutor General Aishath Bisham.
The delegation also met with other key stakeholder government organizations.
During the meeting with FM Shahid, they discussed the developments for democracy and human rights in the Maldives. FM Shahid also emphasized on the importance the government attaches to improving the democratic principles and the promotion and protection of human rights in the country.
Some of the independent institutions with which the delegation held discussions include the Elections Commission, the Prisons Audit and the recently assembled Presidential Inquiry Commission on Murders and Enforced Disappearances.
During the delegation’s time in the Maldives, the government also enabled unsupervised access to former President Abdulla Yameen while he was admitted to Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) as well as Maafushi Prison where his former deputy Ahmed Adeeb is being detained.
The OHCHR delegation had also met with former Supreme Court Chief of Justice Abdulla Saeed and Justice Ali Hameed who is under house arrest.
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