Maldives Police Service has defended their decision to forcefully disperse Thursday night’s youth protest demanding justice for the young woman who was found injured on the rooftop of a building in Male’ on April 18th, citing it was to protect the interests of students and the public, who have been adversely impacted by the protests. 
21-year-old Mariyam Yumnu was found injured on the rooftop of a warehouse in the Henveiru district at around 07:30 am on April 18.
The case of Yumnu, who spent nearly three hours on the rooftop of a warehouse before a neighbor saw her and alerted the authorities, has sparked serial protests in Male’.
In this regard, Thursday’s night’s peaceful protest escalated when a group of SO police officers used force to break it up. While the police used pepper spray to disperse the protestors, they also made two arrests.
They are Aishath Shiman Ahmed, 19, M. Hasthee and Abdulla Mahzoom Majidh, 28, Bageechage, N. Kudafari.
Shiman was arrested on suspicion of refusing to follow a police order and obstructing justice. Mahzoom was also arrested on the same charges, along with an additional charge of attempting to assault a police officer.
In a statement issued on early Friday morning, the Police defended their use of force, stating that they had received ongoing complaints from residents and local businesses based near the protest site regarding the adverse impacts they have faced as a result of the serial protests which has also closed off a segment of Majeedhee Magu, the main road in Male’, to vehicles.
According to the Police, they had issued multiple warnings against turning Majeedhee Magu into a space for activities like music sessions and games such as table tennis and carom, arguing that obstructing a key traffic route runs counter to the public good.
The Police further noted that many students are scheduled to sit for O-Level examinations on Friday.
For these reasons, the Police said they used force to disperse the protest, that too, after issuing warnings on multiple nights.
“These measures were taken in consideration of the students’ education and the impacts on the lives of the public,” the statement read.
The youths usually conclude their daily protests at 12:00am. However, they had refused to do so last night, continuing on for much longer.
Notably, the arrest of the two protestors has sparked public backlash. Political parties including the MDP, The Democrats, and MDA have condemned the arrests and called for the immediate release of Shiman and Mahzoom. Former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has attributed using force to disperse a protest with no political intention as evidence of the government’s ill intention.