Majlis passes resolution to urge Nasheed’s acquittal

People’s Majlis has passed a resolution urging the judiciary to acquit former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed.

Vote on the resolution submitted by North Galolhu MP Eva Abdulla was held at the People’s Majlis this Monday afternoon.

The resolution passed with the 57 votes for, and nine votes against.

The resolution calls for dismissal of three decisions. They are:

• The 13-year-prison sentence issued against Nasheed by the Criminal Court
• The arrest order issued by Criminal Court on August 29, 2016 for failing to return to Maldives after he was allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment
• The terrorism charge against Nasheed for issuing the order in 2010 to for the alleged illegal arrest of current President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom (then Mulaku MP) and Maamingili MP Qasim Ibrahim

The resolution says authorities failed to present him in front of a judge for a remand hearing within 24 hours after his arrest on February 22, 2015. And that he was charged with terrorism and put on trial without legal representation. And that the trial was concluded with hearings held in 19 consecutive days without assurance of proper procedural justice.

The resolution mentions that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found Nasheed’s detention violated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and his basic human rights.

It said the refusal of the Maldivian administration to accept the working group’s findings violated the administrations responsibility as an endorsee of the UDHR and ICCPR.

The resolution also noted that the UN Human Rights Committee found the conviction against Nasheed needs to be overturned due to failure to assure his basic human rights.

Soon after the resolution was submitted to the Majlis, the Criminal Court squashed the terror charge against him for ordering the arrest of Yameen and Qasim in 2010, and the Prosecutor General’s Office requested the Supreme Court for a review of Nasheed’s prison sentence.

The Supreme Court made the decision to suspend Nasheed’s sentence pending the outcome of its review on October 31.