EU places Maldives on Monday’s agenda

The Council of the European Union (EU) has tabled Maldives on its international agenda for Monday.

The Council at 1:00 pm (Maldives time) is expected to adopt a number of conclusions on Maldives without debate.

This comes after President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency in Maldives after refusing to obey a Supreme Court order to release nine political prisoners and reinstate 12 opposition MPs.

President Yameen has claimed that the Supreme Court order was part of a plot to overthrow the government, and has jailed prominent politicians, lawmakers, and government officials, including former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Supreme Court Justice Abdulla Saeed, and Justice Ali Hameed.

The government has also been cracking down on protests in the capital and the islands.

The international community, including India and the US have expressed their concern over the political turmoil in Maldives, and urged President Yameen to lift the state of emergency.

The EU parliament in October adopted a resolution calling on its member states to consider imposing targeted sanctions, including a travel ban, over “the deteriorating political and human rights situation in the Maldives and the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Abdulla Yameen”.

President Yameen in early February refused to meet senior European diplomats.