The Maldives: Luxury Heaven Boycott Can Avert Human Rights Hell

[Ray]

The Maldives: Luxury Heaven Boycott Can Avert Human Rights Hell

When the first democratically elected President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in prison in mid-March, Richard Branson said on Twitter:

Urge everyone worldwide who believes in freedom to boycott the Maldives until true democracy is restored.

Mr. Ahmed Naseem who served as Foreign Minister under former President Nasheed concurs with Mr. Branson. Mr. Naseem's current position is globetrotting meeting with governments around the world to ask them to bring international pressure on Maldives to enforce its 2008 Constitution and rule of law.

I spent 6 years of my life in jail during the elder Gayoom's dictatorship for this. President Nasheed has been jailed 17 times for this. We need pressure from the international community to bring back our constitutional law

Current President Yameen sacked his Defense Minister Mohamed Nazim in January and then a few days ago sentenced him to prison for 11 years on a weapon possession charge. Mr. Naseem, from his home in exile in Sri Lanka, explains that when you come to power in a coup – as President Yameen did – the first thing you must do is rid yourself of coup leaders that helped you (but have shown they have the capability to overthrow you as well).

This and all pictures are scenes from Maldives social media of protests since former President Nasheed was incarcerated.

Former President Nasheed was forced out of office in 2012 because of his efforts under the new constitution to reform the judiciary. Mr. Nasheed's effort to remove a member of the judiciary resulted in former Defense Minister Nazim, Presdient Yameen, the judiciary and others to seize the moment to ouster President Nasheed.


In the Maldives presidential elections of 2013, the Supreme Court of the Maldives annulled elections that Mr. Nasheed won which observers deemed free and fair. Two of the three judges in the case against him that sent former President Nasheed to prison for 13 years were also witnesses for the prosecution.


When President Nasheed was elected in 2008, his democratic election followed the dictatorship of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom that had endured 30 years (current President Yameen is the half-brother of former Presdient Gayoom).

Mr. Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, spokesperson for Mr. Nasheed's Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) says outsiders need to understand the judiciary is not always an erudite institution in the Maldives with one judge having only a grade 6 level of education.

Mr. Ghafoor is also in exile in Sri Lanka after being informed while traveling outside the Maldives that he would be arrested upon return. Mr. Ghafoor explains that the 2008 Constitution created a transitional period to modify institutions in the Maldives. The parliament and the executive branches were reformed. Reformation of the judiciary and the police was halted by the judiciary and then, more or less, enforced by the police.

The campaign to weaken former President Nasheed continues. The current government apparently feels threatened by him even when he is inside prison. A committee of the Maldives parliament yesterday submitted a bill for consideration that would not allow those in jail to participate in any party politics. If passed by parliament, this would remove Mr. Nasheed from his presidency of the MDP.


Fear of former President Nasheed's power seems to extend into environmental movements. Observation of Earth Hour which was celebrated globally this past Saturday was cancelled in the Maldives. Ostensibly, Earth Hour was cancelled due to "the recent wave of stabbings, arson and damage to property" which has largely occurred since former President Nasheed's incarceration. However, widespread belief is that because former President Nasheed was a strong international voice regarding climate change, the government cancelled Earth Hour as it could be an occasion for people to pay homage to him.

Former Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem would like to see a coordinated effort from Europe and across the world to help the Maldives. As many people in the Maldives, he believes former President Nasheed's imprisonment on terrorism charges for his effort to remove a member of the judiciary while the sitting president is an abrogation of the country's constitution and rule of law.

65% of our tourists come from Europe. Surely the European Union can bring pressure on the government to say if things don't change they will block tourist traffic to the Maldives.

We need international support. Maldives has signed every international convention that should give us protection. We are only 330,000 people but our rights should be as valuable as everyone else's.

This past Sunday was also the deadline for former President Nasheed to file an appeal in his case. However, the judiciary has not provided former President Nasheed's legal team with a full case report to have the details it needs to file an appeal to-date. Mr. Naseem says former President Nasheed will sue the government for defamation since he still did not have the proper documentation to file an appeal as the deadline passed.

At the beginning of the interview with Mr. Naseem, he said, "Wait a moment"¦ sorry, I was just finishing reading a death threat" (on his life). The waves of protests and violence currently in the Maldives runs counter to the idyllic luxury lodgings famously spread out amongst its atolls. As Mr. Branson said, those who wish to support democracy and freedom may want to consider taking their holiday elsewhere until the political situation in the Maldives improves.
The Maldives: Luxury Heaven Boycott Can Avert Human Rights Hell - Forbes

I would blame India for this mess.

Manmohan Singh and that clot Kurshed doped it out and allowed the situation to go out of hand with the incompetent Indian Ambassador out there.

This is what happens when one wants to appear as Goody Two Shoes to the world, just like what Nehru did to India.

Foolish people who have ruined India in all ways possible.

 

[DingDong]

I would blame India for this mess.

Manmohan Singh and that clot Kurshed doped it out and allowed the situation to go out of hand with the incompetent Indian Ambassador out there.

This is what happens when one wants to appear as Goody Two Shoes to the world, just like what Nehru did to India.

Foolish people who have ruined India in all ways possible.

It is never too late, what is Modi gonna do about it? Mere display of anger is not sufficient. India needs to bare her fangs and claws.

 

[Ray]

It is never too late, what is Modi gonna do about it? Mere display of anger is not sufficient. India needs to bare her fangs and claws.

It is too late and you can say what you want.

Once the cancer is advanced, what can one do?

Fangs and claws will not do now.

It is to be covert and persuasive.