Supreme Court announces flogging regulation

The Supreme Court has announced a new regulation on flogging.

The court said that the regulation was compiled under the power of the Supreme Court prescribed in Article 7, Article 141, and Article 156 of the Constitution, and that it shall be applied by the courts when implementing sentences related to flogging.

The regulation states that persons who are flogged must be of sound mind, must not be pregnant, and must not have a health condition that could pose a risk to his life as a result of flogging. If a convict who is sentenced to flogging claims to have such a condition, he shall be required to present a medical certificate to prove his claim, and authorities must confirm the validity of this document, states the regulation.

The regulation also states that a statement must be obtained from a person who understands the person being subjected to flogging, in the event that he is speech-impaired or does not understand Dhivehi.

The regulation states that flogging sentences shall only be carried out after the appeal process is completed or after the appeal period has passed, but the sentence shall not be delayed beyond this without legal justification.

The Supreme Court said that Article 6 of the regulation on the judicial process shall be void upon the enforcement of the new regulation.