Speaking during the annual national unity ceremony held since 2004 after the Indian Ocean tsunami, home minister Umar Naseer accused some nations of trying to influence the domestic affairs of the country in the name of democracy. The jailing of former president Mohamed Nasheed and other politically motivated trials have made the Maldives the subject of mounting international criticism. International pressure was further fueled after a UN panel ruled Nasheed's incarceration illegal. The former president’s lawyers have stepped up their efforts to impose targeted sanctions against the Maldives and its leadership, following the ruling by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention late September declaring his imprisonment as arbitrary. The European parliament passed a resolution earlier this month condemning the human rights abuses of President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, and calling for targeted sanctions to be imposed on his officials and supporters in the business community. During the ceremony Saturday evening, Umar accused other countries of passing such resolutions to exert undue influence on the independence of the Maldives. "When they've failed to find a way in, we're now seeing these tactics to pressure us," he said. The minister insisted that if other countries are allowed to meddle in disagreements within the Maldives, the island nation would not be able to protect its independence and sovereignty. "In the past Maldives faced attacks from swords and guns. But now they don't come with swords or guns. Nowadays they come with resolutions passed by international organisations," he added. He also stressed that Maldives would not yield to international pressure to grant religious freedom in the Maldives.