Police continue to disrupt demonstrations, despite lifting of state of emergency
Officers of the police had begun dispersing crowds at 10:30 PM
Police\'s special operations unit, deployed to disperse crowds calling for the president\'s resignation
The Maldives Police Service is still infringing on the freedom of assembly, citing a curfew imposed during Maldives’ drawn-out state of emergency.
Officers of the police had begun dispersing crowds gathered near the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party rallying site in Henveiru of Malé.
At 10:30 PM, the curfew imposed by the government during the 45-day state of emergency, officers had begun pushing crowds away and issuing warnings.
They had also arrested Mohamed Ilham, a senior member of the opposition Jumhooree Party, who was speaking to demonstrators through a loudspeaker. Officers had released him after about an hour.
Police had also dispersed the opposition’s rally on Thursday night, before it had chance to gain traction. They had arrested a number of demonstrators that had gathered, although they were released some time after as well.
The allied opposition parties have been holding nightly rallies in the capital city after the Supreme Court ordered the release of unfairly imprisoned individuals and reinstate lawmakers previously dismissed by the state.
The government had suspended a number of constitutionally guaranteed rights during the state of emergency, allowing officers to make mass arrests and keep them in detention. Officers deployed to disperse demonstrators have been accused of using brute force and violence against them and journalists.
