The Prosecutor General’s Office (PG Office) has dropped charges against Aishath Shiman Ahmed and Abdulla Mahzoom Majidh, two leading figures of the serial protests led by youths demanding justice for the young woman who was found injured on the rooftop of a building in Male’ on April 18th.
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, had sparked serial protests in Male’, largely led by youths. The protests were prompted by allegations of a police coverup after it became known that the individuals involved have family links to influential figures.
Both Shiman and Mahzoom had been arrested during the protests and released shortly afterwards.
PGO filed charges against Shiman and Mahzoom on June 25th, citing both of them declined to enter into reprimand agreements.
In this regard, Mahzoom was charged under Article 120 (b) of the Penal Code, which carries a prison sentence of one month and six days.
According to PGO, Mahzoom was charged because he had pushed a police officer by the chest when officers seized a loudspeaker he was using during the protest held on the night of May 1st.
Meanwhile, Shiman was charged under Article 532 (a) of the Penal Code, which carries a prison sentence of four months and 24 days.
PGO said Shiman was charged for obstructing police officers by breaking through and entering a police line during the seizure of the loudspeaker.
On Tuesday, the PGO announced that it has dropped the charges against Shiman and Mahzoom following a review, noting that neither has a prior criminal record and that their actions did not cause injury or property damage. The PGO added that it also considered the legal penalties for the offense and all related factors in reaching its decision.