The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has lodged complaints with the National Integrity Commission (NIC), the Parliament and the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM), demanding an immediate investigation into allegations of police involvement in leaking private photos and videos of two female activists who had their phones seized last week over posts they shared on social media.
The phones of the two MDP activists - Fathimath Zahiyya (Zaya) and Aminath Shiman Ahmed – were confiscated by the police on October 7, and October 8, respectively.
In a statement on Tuesday, the MDP alleged that the activists were deliberately targeted by the police to intimidate them following their participation in a mass anti-government rally held in Male’ on October 3.
The party accused the police of using anonymous accounts on the social media platform X to leak private photos and videos they extracted from their phones.
The party also slammed the “violent” way in which the police seized their phones.
According to MDP, Shiman, a 20-year-old member of the MDP Youth Wing, was surrounded by a large number of police officers outside her home on the night of October 8, and had her phone violently seized without presenting a warrant.
The party said that within hours, an anonymous account was created on X, threatening to post private photos of Shiman with demands that she “back down”; a threat that was followed through with the release of a private photo of her.
“Shiman has since stated in an interview that the photo was “only on her phone, nowhere else,” leaving the Maldives Police Service as the sole party responsible for the leak. Shiman has also highlighted that the leaked image pictured her as a minor, adding greater severity to the crimes committed by the police, and greater urgency to hold those responsible to account,” reads the statement.
According to MDP, Shiman and her lawyers have been told by the police that they will not be pressing charges.
The party said that logs regarding activity on the phone throughout the duration of the seizure shows more than 30 minutes during which the police accessed Shiman’s photographs through Google Photos and her gallery.
“Given the police had no intention to prosecute, nor evidence to support prosecution, and with clear evidence of their having accessed the private contents of the phone, their actions can only be considered blatant intimidation tactics, and a betrayal of their oath of service to the people,” reads the statement.
And according to MDP, Zaya, a member of the MDP’s national council and the party’s president of North Hulhumale’ constituency, was stopped and had her phone seized on October 8 while on her way to drop off her child at school.
“Since then, leaks from the device have followed in a manner near-identical to that of Shiman’s, as another anonymous “X” account was used to threaten, and eventually release private images and videos of Zaya,” reads the statement.
The MDP said that all evidence points to the police being responsible for the leaks.
“With the closely tied timeline of events from seizure of the devices to the threats and leaks, and the gravely concerning parallels between Zaya and Shiman’s cases, there is little choice but to conclude that the MPS are the party responsible for this deplorable violation of their constitutional right to privacy and safety,” reads the statement.
The MDP said that the targeted harassment and abuse of women – particularly those involved in politics – has long been a feature of the Maldivian state and policing institutions, and that the police have been accused of leaking personal content from devices held under their watch innumerable times through the years.
“Given the sensitive nature of the photograph, those responsible must be immediately held to account, and prosecuted in a court of law,” reads the statement.
The MDP slammed the alleged actions of the police as “an affront to the Maldivian Constitution” and a violation of “the privacy, dignity and basic safety of our women.”
“The excessive show of force and the needlessly violent conduct of the police during the seizure highlights their intent to threaten and intimidate dissenting voices, and the MPS’ willingness to abuse their authority to humiliate and control women through sexual violence highlights the depth of the corruption and depravity within the institution,” reads the statement. “Today, our law enforcement has proven, yet again, that they are misogynistic cronies and under the administration’s thumb, and that they will not hesitate to commit even the most heinous of crimes to silence all dissent and opposition.”
The MDP said they have lodged complaints with the Parliament, the NIC, and the HRCM, demanding an immediate investigation into police conduct.
“The Maldivian Democratic Party demands that action be taken against the perpetrators within the Maldivian Police Service immediately, and that a transparent and fair investigation be conducted,” reads the statement.
According to the police, Zaya is under investigation over a Facebook post in which she allegedly threatened the police, while Shiman is under investigation over a comment that she made on X on September 20 in which she allegedly suggested that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu should be killed.
They police have since returned they phones.
They have also denied allegations that they leaked Zaya and Shiman’s private photos and videos, insisting that devices seized as evidence are kept under tight watch.