India has urged the Maldives government to abide by the Supreme Court order to release all political prisoners.

The Ministry of External Affairs said this in a press release on its website on Friday.

In the press release, the ministry said it has seen Thursday night’s order and that “in the spirit of democracy and rule of law, it is imperative for all organs of the Government of Maldives to respect and abide by the order of the apex court.”

“We also hope that the safety and security of the Indian expatriates in Maldives will be ensured by the Maldivian authorities under all circumstances.”

The ministry expressed its wish to see a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Maldives, and ended by saying it was closely monitoring the situation.