President ratifies amendment bill regarding seizing passports

President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has ratified an amendment bill to the Immigration Act, submitted by the National Security Committee, regarding seizing passports.

The amendment bill stated that unless contradictory to another law, every Maldivian has the right to depart from the country, with the exceptions of persons who are prohibited from leaving the country for a defined period in relation a court order.

The law states that passports may be seized by investigative authorities for a period of 24 hours, after which time they must seek a court order.