HRCM suo moto case hearing cancelled

The hearing on the suo moto case against the members of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today, has been cancelled.

The spokesperson for the Supreme Court said that today’s hearing had to be cancelled because a judge presiding over the case is unwell.

The first hearing on this case, initiated by the Supreme Court following the submission of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the HRCM to the United Nations Human Rights Council, was held on Wednesday.

Presenting the details of the charges on Wednesday, Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz Hussain said that a suo moto case was initiated against the members of the HRCM because the UPR included false information regarding the Supreme Court, and that the charges were filed under Article 141 of the Constitution, Article 9 of the Judicature Act, and Article 86 of the Supreme Court Regulation.

Furthermore in court on Wednesday, lawyer representing HRCM Maumoon Hameed said that the commission sought comments from all stakeholders before submitting the UPR to the UN Human Rights Council.

This includes sending a draft of the review to the Department of Judicial Administration (DJA) on 31 August and requesting comments; however, the DJA had not commented on the review by 14 September when it was submitted to the UN Human Rights Council, said Maumoon.

The DJA is operated under the Supreme Court.