Joint opposition meets UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

The joint opposition has met with Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The joint opposition was represented by Ahmed Naseem, the former Foreign Minister of the Nasheed administration.

The opposition’s legal advisor Ben Emmerson said on Twitter that the two met on Tuesday morning in New York to discuss the way forward for the Maldives during the political turmoil in the country.

The High Commissioner earlier called on the Maldives government to reverse all measures that curtail democratic principles and human rights taken under its ongoing State of Emergency.

President Abdulla Yameen declared the State of Emergency after refusing to implement the Supreme Court order on February 1 to release nine political prisoners and reinstate 12 opposition MPs.

Since then, the government has jailed two supreme court justices, and pro-government MPs have passed a bill to remove the 12 opposition MPs and another bill to dismiss the jailed justices.