Former President Mohamed Nasheed has commended UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, for his 'attention given to the situation in the Maldives'.
Through a post on Twitter on Wednesday, Nasheed also called on the government to comply with the recommendations made by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
We welcome the ongoing attention given to the situation in the Maldives by you, High Commissioner, and urge the Government of Maldives to engage with you and your Office, as well as the mechanisms of the Council in order to address this extremely worrying situation. https://t.co/J6rzi7zc8I
— Mohamed Nasheed (@MohamedNasheed) March 9, 2018
On Wednesday, High Commissioner Zeid spotlighted over 60 countries that made improvements or regressed in regards to human rights, where he urged the government to 'completely reverse' decisions made since imposing the state of emergency.
In his address, High Commissioner Zeid highlighted that key rights have been suspended under the state of emergency, which has allowed the government to make a 'wave of arrests' and the impact the entire situation may have on Maldives' economy.
The High Commissioner's office had previously released a statement on the ongoing conflict in the Maldives as well, where it calls out centralisation of powers in the Maldives, in no uncertain terms.
“The suspension of several functions of the judiciary and parliament, and the restrictions on a series of constitutional rights, create a dangerous concentration of power in the hands of the president” the statement said.
On Thursday, a separate statement was read at the UN Human Rights Council, which notes that 34 nations had last year expressed their concern over repression of opposition political activity and the freedom of expression and assembly.
The statement also expressed regret at the Maldivian government's decision to isolate itself from the UN and its 'mechanisms' and over the fact that the situation in the Maldives has 'deteriorated'.
The joint statement was supported by a total of 41 nations, they are:
- Albania
- Austria
- Australia
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Georgia
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lichtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Malta
- Montenegro
- The Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovenia
- Slovakia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- The United Kingdom
- The United States
Ahead of this statement and that of High Commissioner Zeid's, two UN human rights experts released a statement describing the situation in Maldives as beseigement of the judiciary, undermines the court’s ability to work freely and effectively.
“It is clear that the rule of law in the Maldives is now under siege. We call on the government to refrain from any threats or interference that may hamper the court’s independence as the supreme guardian of the country’s constitution and legislation.”
The experts, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention José Antonio Guevara Bermúdez and Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Magistrates Diego García-Sayán, also expressed concern that the arrest of Supreme Court justices in the Maldives affects the conduct of other members in the judiciary.
While Nasheed has urged the government to comply with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, President Abdulla Yameen has thus far not done so with repeated calls, from the UN and its member states individually, to lift the state of emergency. The opposition has also asked Office of the UN Secretary-General to mediate talks between them and the government.
However, it was later reported that the government had turned it down when the United Nations offered to intervene. The Hindustan Times ran an article on Wednesday that included a quote from Farhan Haq, a spokesperson to the United Nations.
“He offered to…President Yameen, UN mediation, but the president conveyed that mediation is not wanted at this stage” Haq was quoted as saying, about UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The opposition has denounced the government invitation for inclusive dialogue, which has become known as the 'all-party talks' initiative, as a ploy to delude the international community into thinking the situation in the Maldives is less concerning than reported.
While Minister Mohamed Shainee refuted spokesperson Haq's comment and insisted that government had not denied the offer for UN mediation, the ruling party's deputy leader Abdul Raheem Abdulla said that they are opposed to any international mediation.
