Police seize MDP local president’s phone over alleged threats on Facebook

The mobile phone of Fathimath Zahiyya (Zaya), a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) National Assembly Member and President of the Hulhumale' North Constituency, has been impounded in connection with allegations of threatening police officers via a Facebook post.

Ahmed Mauroof, legal counsel for the MDP, confirmed to Sun that the seizure of Zahiyya's device was executed on Tuesday pursuant to a court order.

Mauroof stated, citing the Criminal Court order, that the impoundment of Zahiyya's phone is directly related to a Facebook post deemed to contain threats against law enforcement personnel.

The judicial directive specifies that the case pertains to a post made by Zahiyya at 23:08 on Saturday. The court order further indicates that the phone has been seized for the purpose of evidence acquisition.

This matter is currently under investigation, initiated subsequent to a police intelligence report. The court order authorizing the seizure is valid for a period of 72 hours.

According to the aforementioned order, the case is being handled by the police department dedicated to theft cases.

The impoundment of the opposition MDP National Assembly member's phone follows a rally held last Friday night, during which the party accused the government of corruption. The event reportedly led to confrontations between police and demonstrators.

Prior to the rally, police had issued a statement indicating receipt of intelligence regarding planned disturbances, affirming that such activities would not be permitted. When protesters attempted to deviate from the authorized route, they were interdicted, subjected to repeated deployment of pepper spray, and a long-range acoustic device (LRAD) was also utilized.

Law enforcement officials have defended their actions, and on Monday, issued a warning regarding potential legal proceedings against individuals intimidating police officers on social media platforms.