Defendants to respond in Yameen Rasheed's murder case on Sunday

A hearing in the trial of writer Yameen Rasheed's murder is scheduled at the Criminal Court on Sunday.

At the hearing set for 3 pm, the defendants will be given the opportunity to respond to the allegations against them.

Ismail Haisham Rasheed, Hussain Ziyad, Ismail Rasheed, Hassan Shifaz, Mohamed Dhifran and Ahmed Zihan have been charged with first-degree murder while a seventh suspect is charged with accessory.

Charges were levied against them on the 31st of July.

The hearings in the case has been closed off to the public, as requested by the Prosecutor General's Office. The Office claims to have requested to hold certain hearings behind closed doors, and not the entire trial.

The last hearing in the case was held on October 4th. The hearing was concluded early as Ismail Haisham Rasheed's lawyer is under suspension, giving him 10 days to appoint a new lawyer.

According to the Maldives Police Service, Haisham and Ahmed Zihan are the two individuals who carried out the fatal attack on Yameen.

Police said that their investigation included analyzing over 1,850 hours of video footage and 40,000 individuals, between the ages of 20 to 40.

One of the most prominent bloggers in the country, Yameen Rasheed was stabbed to death back in April, in an attack that shook the nation. His body was found in the staircase of his residence.