International human rights lawyer Jared Genser has said that he always knew that former President Mohamed Nasheed’s conviction was arbritrary and in violation of international and that it was great to finally be vindicated by the Maldives Supreme Court.
In the exclusive interview with RaajjeTV on Friday night, Jared Genser, who was part of the international team that represented Nasheed during the trial, highlighted that the United Nation’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and its human rights committee had already ruled that Nasheed’s conviction was unfair.
In the interview, Genser also said that he was excited to be back in Maldives, noting that the previous government of President Abdulla Yameen had deported and labelled him an enemy of the state.
Regarding the Supreme Court verdict, he said t it was extraordinary to see Supreme Court overturn Nasheed’s terror conviction, which the exact opposite of its previous one regarding the case, adding that it was a sign of how things have changed.
Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in prison in March 2015, after being found guilty of ordering the ‘abduction’ of a judge during his presidency.
Regarding the broader question of justice and accountability in Maldives, Genser said it will be something the country will have to wrestle with and emphasized that abusers of human rights should be held accountable and fair compensation should be given to the victims.
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