By Ankit Panda
Months after Mohamed Nasheed’s show trial, democracy and the rule of law show no signs of recovery in the Maldives.
Just over three months ago, in a brazen regression of democracy, the former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, was manhandled and physically dragged to a show-trial at the hands of a stacked court. He was found guilty on charges of terrorism and sentenced to 13 years in prison (the terrorism charge is based on the arrest of Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed during Nasheed’s presidency). Nasheed is notable for being the small Indian Ocean island state’s first democratically elected president after over 30 years of autocracy.
Nasheed’s treatment at the hands of the incumbent government, led by President Abdulla Yameen, is a testament to the poor state of the rule of law in the nascent democracy. To make matters worse, other senior opposition leaders, from both the Jumhooree and Adhaalath parties, are on trial on terrorism charges. A crackdown on anti-government protesters in early May further illustrated the disintegration of democracy in the Maldives. (The Diplomat‘s Vishal Arora recalls the events leading to Nasheed’s current fate here.)
On June 21, Nasheed was transferred to house arrest, with Yameen’s imprimatur. According to the Maldives’ Minivan News, Yameen made the decision after consulting with the attorney general. The report notes that members of the president’s cabinet, including the home minister, were “reluctant” about the transfer, but that the president was insistent. Nasheed’s transfer was in part necessitated for health reasons. He is current undergoing medical tests and will reportedly return to normal imprisonment at some point in the future. According to the Maldivian tourism minister, Ahmed Adeeb, the duration of Nasheed’s house arrest will depend on his medical condition.
Read the full story at The Diplomat