An emergency motion submitted by the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) alleging the torture of protestors detained from its anti-government rally in the Maldivian capital on October 3 was thrown out of Parliament on Monday, with Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdulla deciding the allegations were unfounded.
The main opposition 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 are 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
On Monday morning, Kendhoo MP Mauroof Zakir’ submitted an emergency motion alleging that some of the detainees were being physically abused in detention.
However, Speaker Abdul Raheem refused to entertain the motion.
He said that Article 197 of the Parliament’s standing orders require emergency motions to be based on fact.
Abdul Raheem said that Mauroof had failed to back the allegations in his motion with facts, and decided that it does not meet the criteria for an emergency motion.
Mauroof raised a point of order and said the Parliament’s standing orders does not require for parliamentarians to provide evidence when submitting emergency motions.
Abdul Raheem rejected the point of order, insisting that he is acting in accordance with the standing orders.
In his motion, Mauroof said that he has been informed that some of the detainees have sustained serious injuries after being tortured by police, and that their families have also been complaining that they are being denied their basic rights.
He also said that some of the detainees are on long-term medication for chronic illnesses, but the police have been deliberately delaying medical care.
Mauroof also alleged that despite the inhumane treatment of the detainees, the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) have made no effort to ascertain their constitutional rights.
The six detainees, who are being held at the Dhoonidhoo Custodial Jail, had launched a hunger strike over alleged denial of proper medical attention and delays in the investigation, before ending it on October 8.
Meanwhile, two other protestors had their phones confiscated by the police this week over social media posts. Aminath Shiman Ahmed, a young activist from MDP, had her phone confiscated by police on Wednesday night, 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. And on Tuesday, the police seized the phone of another MDP activist, 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.