The Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (LAWASIA) will send a fact-finding mission to the Maldives, who will scrutinize the Supreme Court decision to suspend 54 lawyers calling for the rule of law to be upheld, said Former Attorney General Husnu Suood.
Suood, who is also head of the Maldives Lawyer’s Association, said this in a post on his official twitter account on Monday.
LAWASIA has passed a Resolution on Maldives. Concerned about lawyers. Lawasia also decides to send a fact finding mission to Maldives.
— Husnu Al Suood (@hsuood) September 18, 2017
The indefinite suspensions were announced on Sunday, 10th September, a week after the petition was filed with the Supreme Court.
The petition cited several instances in which court decisions had served to either obstruct or fully violate legal principles and doctrines enshrined within the constitution.
A total of 56 lawyers had signed the petition. While the court had suspended 54 on the grounds of ‘contempt of court’, two of the remaining signatories were already under suspension.
The suspension was met with criticism towards the Supreme Court, with several in the legal profession having expressed concern over the decision. On Monday, 35 lawyers had called on the court to repeal its decision.
However, the Department of Judicial Administration on Monday announced its decision to relieve thirteen of the suspended lawyers.
The lawyers that were relieved of the suspension imposed against them are listed below:
- Ahmed Abdulla
- Abdul Salaam Areef
- Ali Nadeem
- Maajidhaa Majdhee
- Abdul Maaniu Hussein
- Abdul Naseer Mohamed
- Ahmed Shan
- Mohamed Shahid
- Mohamed Fawwaz
- Anoosa Moosa
- Haajidha Naeem
- Zimna Abdul Muhusin
- Ibrahim Shiyam
