The appeal trial in the murder of blogger and social media activist Yameen Rasheed, has commenced at the High Court.
The Criminal Court found Ismail Haisham and Ahmed Zihan guilty of the charges raised against them and issued a verdict earlier. However, the remaining four suspects were not found guilty of the charges. They are Hussain Ziyad native to Kolhufushi island in Meemu atoll, Ismail Rasheed and Hassan Shifaz native to Malé City and Mohamed Dhifran, native to Gadhdhoo island in Gaaf Dhaal atoll.
While the state has appealed the case of Mohamed Dhifran and Ismail Rasheed, the state did not have enough evidence to appeal the cases against Hussain Ziyad and Hassan Shifaz, in connection with the murder.
The suspects who were found guilty of the charges raised against them, were slapped with lifelong imprisonment. However, since they had already spent four years, eight months and 11 days in confinement, the sentence has since been reduced to 20 years, three months and 19 days.
The state charged six individuals with first-degree murder over Yameen's death on 30 July 2017; Ismail Haisham Rasheed, Hussain Ziyad, Ismail Rasheed, Hassan Shifaz, Mohamed Dhifran, and Ahmed Zihan Ismail.
Convicts Haisham and Zihan also appealed their verdict at the High Court.
Both of the appeal cases are being held jointly, at the High Court.
During the first hearing in the appeal case, both suspects presented their appeal points.
The appeal points included how the testimonies of the secret witnesses were weighed, how the testimonies of the secret witnesses were taken in a manner that violates the right to a fair trial and the fact that the testimonies of the secret witnesses were not taken into account, when they were requested to be accepted.
Haisham and Zihan’s lawyers have requested to annul the lower court’s order and has sought a re-investigation into the case, by the lower court.
As the time allocated for the hearing came to an end, Ismail Rasheed and Dhifran’s part of the hearing was not carried out.
However, it will be carried out in the next hearing.
Yameen Rasheed was stabbed to death in the early hours on 23 April 2017 in an attack that shook the nation. His body was found on the staircase of his residence, with over 30 stab wounds. While his attackers were caught on CCTV footage, police had said that they had been "in disguise".
The presidential commission on enforced disappearances and murders back in December 2018 revealed that investigations showed links between Yameen’s murder and two other high-profile murders; 2012 murder of lawmaker Dr. Afrasheem Ali and 2014 disappearance and murder of journalist Ahmed Rilwan.
While Yameen had received multiple death threats prior to the fatal attack, they were reported to authorities but to no avail. Hence, his family has accused police of negligence.
