Meekail Naseem, President of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s Youth Wing, presented himself to the police on Friday night for questioning.

He was accompanied by MDP's chairperson and lawyer, Hassan Latheef and lawyer Abdulla Shairu.

Naseem is accused, under Article 615 (a) of the Penal Code, of 'instilling fear in the hearts of the public' over a status posted on his personal Facebook profile.

After leaving the police headquarters Naseem told the press that he had given his statement, denying the allegations against him.

In a tweet posted after, Naseem noted that he was interrogated for over one and a half hours, and that it is "sad that the police [are] are wasting resources of petty political persecution".

An avid social media user, Naseem is highly vocal against the current government.

He was appointed as the party's Youth Wing President in July, with Ibrahim Maiz as his deputy.