The six protestors detained from an anti-government rally held in the Maldivian capital by the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) on October 3 have been granted conditional release by the court.
MDP’s ‘Lootuvaifi’ anti-corruption rally kicked off with hundreds of protestors at 09:00 pm October 3 from the Artificial Beach in the Henveiru district of Male’. But as the protestors attempted to march along the Majeedhee Magu, the police accused them of diverting from the pre-approved route and blocked their path. Clashes ensued as protestors attempted to force their way through, with the police using pepper spray and sound cannons to control the crowd. Eight protestors were taken into custody, while one suffered a heart attack after reportedly getting pepper-sprayed at close range.
Six of them were remanded in custody of the police for 15 days on allegations of “disobeying police orders, obstruction, and damage to police gear” and were being held at the Dhoonidhoo Custodial Jail. They are:
Former Dhaandhoo MP Yaugoob Abdulla
Former North Kulhudhuffushi MP Yasir Abdul Latheef
President of Maafushi Council, Hassan Solah
Ali Juman, former senior administrative assistant at the President’s Office
Azeem Ali
Hassan Shakir
Police detain former Dhaandhoo MP Yaugoob Abdulla during the crackdown on MDP's 'Lootuvaifi' rally in Male' City on October 3, 2025. (Sun Photo/Ahmed Firyal)
On Sunday, all six were presented before the Criminal Court for an extension to their remand hearing.
Ahmed Mauroof, the head of MDP’s legal team, confirmed to Sun that all six were granted conditional release by the court.
According to Mauroof, they were released from Dhoonidhoo on the condition that they cooperate in the police investigation against them, and inform the police before they leave Male’.
Their release came mere hours before the remand order issued on October 4 had been set to expire.
During their time at the Dhoonidhoo Custodial Jail, the six detainees had launched a hunger strike over alleged denial of proper medical attention and delays in the investigation, before ending it on October 8.
Mauroof repeated the ascertain by MDP that the police had used excessive force in the crackdown on the rally, resulting in injuries to some of the detainees.
This includes Maafushi Council president Solah, who broke a finger.
Police apprehend a protestor at the MDP Lootuvaifi rally in Male' city on October 3, 2025. (Sun Photo/Ahmed Firyal)
He said that the legal team found the police deliberately delayed medical care for the detainees, especially in with the follow-up care.
“As such, the doctor who treated Maafushi Council president Solah for his broken finger recommended an X-ray. They relayed the X-ray considerably. Dhoonidhoo claimed the doctor didn’t mention anything about an urgent need to take an X-ray. But a person in pain from a broken finger requires immediate attention. There were certain delays such as this,” said Mauroof.
Following the police crackdown on the rally, the MDP accused the police of using excessive force on peaceful protestors, accusing them of pepper-spraying protestors at close range and using Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRADs) despite the serious risks of permanent hearing damage, dizziness, nausea, and other severe health impacts.
The party has said they are exploring possible legal action under the International Convention Against Torture.
However, these allegations are denied by the police, who said protest had been an unlawful gathering, and that officers had acted “with patience and professionalism to disperse the gathering using lawful means.”
The police also added that three officers were injured during the rally, including one female officer who protesters walked over after she fell down with her shield.
They also warned legal action for intimidation over the circulation of photos and videos of individual officers who were part of the crackdown on the rally.
Combined photos of (from L-R) Aminath Shiman Ahmed and Fathimath Zahiyya (Zaya).
A couple of days after the rally, two of the protestors had their phones confiscated by the police over social media posts. On October 7, the police seized the phone of Fathimath Zahiyya (Zaya), A member of the MDP’s national council and the party’s president of North Hulhumale’ constituency. Zaya is under investigation over a Facebook post in which she allegedly threatened the police. And on October 8, Aminath Shiman Ahmed, a young activist from MDP, had her phone confiscated by police over a comment she made on social media platform X on September 20 in which she allegedly suggested that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu should be killed.
The MDP alleges the activists were deliberately targeted by the police to intimidate them.
The party also accused the police of using anonymous accounts on the social media platform X to leak private photos and videos they extracted from their phones.
The party has also lodged complaints with the National Integrity Commission (NIC), the Parliament and the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM), demanding an immediate investigation into the allegations.
The police have denied allegations that they leaked Zaya and Shiman’s private photos and videos, insisting that devices seized as evidence are kept under tight watch.