The Criminal Court has on Saturday night remanded a number of individuals detained under Maldives’ ongoing state of emergency, ahead of its expiration this week.
Lawmaker Ahmed Mahloof and detained Supreme Court justice Ali Hameed’s wife had also been remanded. Police had escorted multiple vehicles full of detainees for their remand.
Mahloof was remanded by 13 days while the justice’s wife, Fathimath Nasira, was remanded by 15 days. Nasira is currently under house arrest, and her lawyers had requested that she be detained that way.
Further, Nasira’s lawyers also told the press that the police had revealed that they prefer not to reveal the evidence they had against her.
The President’s Office initially declared the ongoing state of emergency on 5th February, and subsequently detained opposition leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and two Supreme Court justices.
The parliament, in a sitting boycotted by the lawmaker aligned with the allied opposition parties, extended it a day after this initial declaration, that last for 15 days, expired.
While the opposition and even prominent lawmakers questioned the validity of its passing, citing that the number of lawmakers who voted to extended it only amount to 39, not even half the 85-seat house.
This challenge was laid to rest by the Supreme Court, the authority of which has been questioned as well after said two justices were arrested, deeming the extension valid on February 26th.
The government has also said, in a statement responding to the European Parliament adopting a resolution to impose sanctions on human rights abusers in the Maldives, that the state of emergency only applies to an ongoing investigation into bribery allegations over the Supreme Court ruling on February 1st.
However, hundreds have been apprehended at the allied opposition parties' nightly rallies calling for President Abdulla Yameen's resignation. Although a number of them are released after, while others were detained and now have been remanded, the police have justified keeping them in detention citing the state of emergency.
