Former President Mohamed Nasheed has been presented before Hulhumalé Magistrate Court’s bench, sitting in the Justice Building in Malé.
The first hearing of a prosecution against Nasheed has been scheduled to start this evening at 4 pm. Nasheed is being prosecuted for the unlawful arrest and incarceration in communicado of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdullah Muhammad while Nasheed was in presidency. The incident took place in January this year, and mass protests against this “outrageous violation of human rights and the Maldivian Constitution and laws” led to Nasheed’s resignation in February.
Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizz had vowed immediately after the arrest and incarceration of Chief Judge Abdulla, while still Nasheed was President, that he would have the incident investigated and that those who involved in the act would be prosecuted. Prosecutor General kept his vow by initiating the prosecution at Hulhumalé Magistrate Court.
Nasheed was presented before the Court today by the Maldives Police Service, who brought him into custody yesterday while he was in Fares-Maathoda, an island in Gaafu Dhaalu atoll. The Police arrested Nasheed under a court order to that effect, following Nasheed’s rejection to produce himself at the Court twice.