A post by the foreign ministry’s official twitter handle Friday evening said Commonwealth, one of the international organisations that had criticised the government for declaring the state of emergency, had got facts wrong. The tweet pointed to an English translation of the declaration of state emergency published on the ministry’s website. European Union became Thursday the latest international body to call on the Maldives to end a state of emergency declared this week, urging all the political parties to opt for dialogue to resolve the current political crisis in the island nation. In a statement, the EU’s spokesperson described the declaration of state of emergency and suspend fundamental freedoms enshrined in the constitution as the latest in a series of worrying developments in the country. He said it is essential that all constitutional fundamental rights and freedoms are immediately restored and that due process of law is respected. “A genuine dialogue with all political parties on the future of the country needs to be established,” the statement read. “The EU expects all parties to act responsibly and to exercise restraint.” The EU joins a host of other international organisations and countries that had called on the Maldives to end the state of emergency in place. Commonwealth led international condemnation of the Maldives Thursday after it declared a month-long state of emergency following two assassination attempts on the president. In a statement, Commonwealth spokesperson Neil Ford a state of emergency is rare in any Commonwealth country and should be lifted as soon as possible. It remains critical that fundamental rights and freedoms are protected, including freedom of association and freedom of expression and the media, he added. Commonwealth also said its chief Kamalesh Sharma is following events closely in Maldives and has noted with concern the government’s declaration of the 30-day state of emergency. “Representatives of the wider Commonwealth family have also expressed concerns about the State of Emergency in Maldives. The Commonwealth will remain in contact with the Government of Maldives to support it in advancing the Commonwealth’s fundamental political values,” the statement read. Hugo Swire, the Minister for Asia at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, also called on the government to end the current state of emergency. He said the state of emergency will impinge on the basic human rights of the and further undermine confidence in the country’s democracy. “I am particularly concerned by the impact of the state of emergency on the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Maldives constitution, including the right to privacy, freedom from arbitrary detention, freedom from restraint and freedom of movement,” the statement read. “We urge the government of the Maldives to uphold the commitments it has made – including as a member of the Commonwealth – to democracy and to the rule of law. The UK also joined the US in reiterating its previous calls for an end to what it said were politically motivated prosecutions and detentions, including that of former President Mohamed Nasheed. The country also updated its travel advice for the Maldives, urging visitors to be extra careful. It, however, highlighted the Maldivian government’s stand that there will be no restrictions on tourist movements and that tourist resorts are unlikely to be significantly affected. Meanwhile, the UK’s top diplomat to the Maldives separately expressed concerns over the situation in the Maldives. “Most concerned by restrictions on fundamental rights and freedoms in the Maldives from today, including to privacy, assembly and movement,” the tweet posted James Dauris Wednesday afternoon read. The international criticism of the Maldives was led initially by the US which called on the government on Wednesday to restore immediately full constitutional freedoms by terminating the state of emergency. In a statement, state department spokesperson John Kirby said the US is deeply concerned with recent events in Maldives, including the announcement of a state of emergency that curtails vital civil liberties and human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of peaceful assembly, the freedom of movement, and safeguards against arbitrary detention and arbitrary and unlawful interference with one’s privacy. Maldives declared a month-long state of emergency Wednesday in what has been extraordinary security measures following an explosion on a speedboat carrying the president and subsequent discovery of an arms haul. In the declaration of emergency, which was read out to journalists at the President’s Office by Attorney General Mohamed Anil, President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom said he had reached the decision after consultations with his national security council. Several explosive devices have been discovered in two separate operations carried out by the army and there is credible intelligence of an imminent attack using explosives and weapons, he added. Such an attack would endanger the lives of the public, the president said. Under the state of emergency in effect nationwide, articles 19, 24, 31, 32, 41(a), 45 and 47 of the constitution have been suspended. Article 19 deals with freedom from restraint. It states that a citizen is free to engage in any conduct or activity that is not expressly prohibited by Islamic Shari’ah or by law. According to the article, no control or restraint may be exercised against any person unless it is expressly authorised by law. Article 24 relates to personal privacy. It states that everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his private communications. Every person, according to the article, must respect these rights with respect to others. Article 31 grants workers the right to strike. It stipulates that every person employed in the Maldives and all other workers have the freedom to stop work and to strike in order to protest. Article 32 empowers the citizens with the right to assemble freely. It states that everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly without prior permission of the state. Article 41(a) deals with freedom of movement and establishment. It states that every citizen has the freedom to enter, remain in and leave the Maldives, and to travel within the Maldives. Article 45 protects the citizens from unlawful arrest or detention. It states that everyone has the right not to be arbitrarily detained, arrested or imprisoned except as provided by law. Article 47 relates to search and seizure. Clause (a) of the article states that no person shall be subject to search or seizure unless there is reasonable cause, while clause (b) stipulates that residential property shall be inviolable, and shall not be entered without the consent of the resident, except to prevent immediate and serious harm to life or property, or under the express authorisation of an order of the court. In addition, the Freedom of Assembly Act has also been suspended. The declaration of emergency came a day after security forces discovered an explosive device near the presidential palace. Maldives military had confirmed that the suspected device found in a vehicle parked near the presidential residence of Muliaage in capital Male was an improvised explosive device which had been subsequently been diffused. The discovery of the IED came just over a month after an explosion aboard the presidential speedboat carrying President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom now confirmed as an attempt to kill the president. President Yameen was unhurt but his spouse and two others were hurt in the explosion. The primary suspect in the blast appears to be the now impeached Vice President Ahmed Adheeb Abdul Ghafoor who was arrested on October 24 as soon as he arrived from an official trip to China. He is accused of high treason, a charge he denies. The government has intensified its crackdown on the former vice president and his associates. Before and since the former vice president’s arrest, police jointly with armed soldiers have been carrying out raids across capital Male. Most of the houses and offices searched so far had direct links to the vice president. Parliament unanimously voted Thursday to impeach Adheeb, the second impeachment of a vice president in less than six months. Meanwhile, security forces are finding weapons in a number of raids across the country. The army confirmed Saturday that two assault rifles found in the biggest weapons bust in Maldives' recent history belonged to the state armoury. The items showcased during a press conference earlier Saturday included several hand guns, a T56 assault rifle and a MP5 sub-machine gun. In addition, a large quantity of bomb making material were also displayed at the press briefing. The weapons had been seized from Hibilhadhoo island in Baa Atoll being developed as a resort.