Suspended lawyers vow to continue reform battle for Maldives judiciary

Suspended lawyers have vowed to continue reform battle for the nation’s judiciary, stating that their suspension was just intimidation.

Fifty-six lawyers were suspended on Sunday, for submitting a petition to Supreme Court, highlighting the various issues with the judiciary.

Speaking in a press conference on Monday, former Attorney General and one of the key figures in the petition, Husnu Suood said that they will not back down in spite of the very targeted attack on them. He added an additional petition was in the works, which will be submitted to Supreme Court and other institutions.

Suood said that he was made aware of the suspension from the statement released by Department of Judicial Administration (DJA). Neither DJA, Judicial Service Commission (JSC) nor the Supreme Court had sent any formal notifications to that effect, Suood noted.

He added that none of the 56 lawyers had been questioned over their suspension. Suood remarked that while the DJA statement had noted their petition to Supreme Court as the reason for suspension, the Court had not even accepted the petition. Therefore, he said Supreme Court must give an explanation on how they were aware this was an illegal petition and those who had signed this petition. Suood assured that none of the lawyers had signed an illegal document or carried out any activity that DJA had raised as objection.

‘We did not sign an illegal document. We did not disrespect the Courts. The document lawyers attempted to send to Court was not accepted. It is deeply concerning that a lot of lawyers were suspended indefinitely, at once,’ said Suood.

Suood said there were no procedures regarding suspension of lawyers or procedures to be completed before suspension. He further said the issues in the judiciary can only be addressed from within the judiciary, marking that those within the JSC must cease their influence on judges. Suood also added that JSC must become more stringent in taking action on judges who work against the Constitution and laws.

Suood added their reform work began ages back and therefore they were not intimidated by any action the Supreme Court may take. He said the Justices at the Supreme Court were still learning about the judiciary when they began their reform work, adding his assurance that they will remain committed.

Speaking in the press conference, lawyer Mahfuz Saeed said the petition was their way of expressing their discontent over the current situation. He said their suspension showed that DJA had not analyzed the repercussions of the action.

‘We pointed out actions of Judges that could not be carried out legally. We had the courage to do that and we were rewarded with suspension. The only basis for this suspension was that we dared to speak the truth. They have no intentions of amending their mistakes and they had no intentions of allowing us to voice dissent against it. They had all intentions of silencing those who will speak out,’ Mahfuz said.

Former Deputy Prosecutor General Hussain Shameem said with the suspension, both lawyers and their clients stood to lose their rights. He added that any action, including suspension, can be carried out only after thoroughly investigating the case.

‘Even the procedures are run in a way that raises questions. They say the lawyers were suspended because they made a document that was illegal. How did the Supreme Court know the document was illegal? They did not accept this document, we came out quietly,’ he said.

Lawyer Hisaan Hussain also noted her concerns, citing this was not just an issue for lawyers and their clients but the nation as a whole.

DJA website states that the 54 practicing lawyers were suspended ‘for contempt of court’. Fifty-four lawyers had, on 30th August, filed a petition over the country's judiciary at the Supreme Court. However, the petition was rejected by the Court. The two lawyers additional lawyers who signed the petition, Hussain Shameem and Ali Hussain, are already under suspension.

Earlier on Sunday, a team of lawyers presented Attorney General Mohamed Anil with 'a great big copy' of the Maldivian constitution, 'to remind the AG to uphold basic rights and freedoms as per the Constitution'.