Britain and the US express concern reg. ex-defence minister's continued incarceration
Nazim marked a 1000 days in prison on Monday
US Ambassador Atul Keshap and UK Ambassador James Dauris
Maldives' representatives from United Kingdom and United States of America have expressed concern over former Defence Minister Colonel (Rtd.) Mohamed Nazim's continued incarceration.
Ambassadors Atul Keshap and James Dauris, from USA and UK respectively, used twitter to express their concerns on Tuesday, a day after the former minister's family released a statement, calling the justice system "unjust".
"1000 days into his ordeal, when will Colonel Nazim benefit from the impartial and fair application of evidence-based justice and rule of law?" asked Keshap.
Noting that United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) had ruled that Nazim's detention is "in breach of UDHR and ICCPR," Dauris emphasized that "after over 1000 days, his rights are pressing". The Ambassador shared a link to UNWGAD's decision on Nazim's case with the tweet.
While the UNWGAD had called for the former defence minister's "immediate release", jailed former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb had sent a letter to the Supreme Court earlier this year, claiming he had sufficient evidence to acquit Nazim.
Nazim was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment in March 2015, after being found guilty of weapons smuggling. Even before Adeeb's alleged admission, Nazim had maintained that he had been framed by Adeeb, then tourism minister.
The opposition, including former Presidents Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Mohamed Nasheed, have also expressed concern over the lack of justice for Nazim, with Nasheed affirming that the opposition "will free him".
