"Police summons for protesters is a policy that failed about 19 years ago"

Fathimath Shiuna, a prominent figure in the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s political activities, has stated that summoning people to the Maldives Police Service (MPS) for protesting is a policy that failed about 19 years ago.

In connection with the ongoing series of protests by the main opposition party, Mariyam “Mandhy” Zubair and Fathimath Shiuna, both leading figures in the party's political activities, were summoned on Monday. Both women were instructed to appear at the police station at 1:30pm on Monday.

Speaking about being summoned to the police, Shiuna said that protesting is not a new phenomenon in this country. She stated that even when there were stronger protests in the past, people were not summoned to the police and intimidated. She added that MDP is taking to the streets to secure the rights of the Maldivian citizens, from the government, and that it is not a crime. Shiuna said that MDP cannot be coerced into backing down through such intimidation tactics.

The notice sent to Shiuna highlighted that she was summoned in relation to allegations of violating the Peaceful Assembly Act, gathering and protesting loudly in several regions of Malé City on the night of 10 March 2025, in a manner that obstructed public transportation and businesses, interfering with police duties, disobeying police orders, and obstructing law enforcement.

The summons sent to Mandhy stated that she was summoned in connection with a case submitted by the Children's Ombudsperson's Office, alleging that she had spoken in a manner that compromised the dignity of a minor. However, no details of this matter were included in the summons notice.