Nasheed had requested permission to go abroad for a surgery on his back but the correctional service denied the request insisting that the surgery can be done in the Maldives. Home Minister Umar Naseer on Twitter said the doctor had recommended a "L4-5 Microdicectory' for Nasheed. However, Umar also said the surgery is available in the Maldives. "Dr. has recommended an L4-5 Microdiscectory for RN, a procedure, that is available in the Maldives. However, MCS will seek a second opinion," Umar's tweet read. Following the tweet, Nasheed's office insisted in a statement that such information about the ex-president's medical condition was extremely private and can only be disclosed by Nasheed himself. The statement also said Nasheed had the constitutional right to doctor-patient confidentiality. According to the statement, the authorities had failed to hand over documents related to Nasheed's last consultation with the doctor despite repeated requests by his lawyers. The statement slammed the home minister for opting to publicise Nasheed's private details on social media and labeled the move as "highly irresponsible." However, Umar hit back at the statement by insisting that the government reserves the right to decide on the extent of sharing information on a convict. "He is not a free man. He doesn't enjoy the rights of a free man. We will decide how much information related to convicts to share. He is not entitled to every right enshrined in the constitution." Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in prison in March for ordering the arbitrary detention of chief criminal judge Abdulla Mohamed during his presidency. The former president’s lawyers have stepped up their efforts to impose targeted sanctions against the Maldives and its leadership, following a UN panel ruling late September declaring his imprisonment as arbitrary.