The Maldivian government is obliged to abide by the United Nations Human Rights Committee’s demand to quash the conviction of former president Mohamed Nasheed, his lawyer Jared Genser has said

In an exclusive interview with RaajjeMV, which is to air at 9:15pm on Wednesday, Genser said that the Maldives is party to the international treaty which was the basis for the decision and that came from a UN body qualified to do so and not from ‘some body that does not matter’.

“You cannot just decide to implement decisions of bodies you like and ignore ones you do not like. That is not how the international law works” he said.

Genser also highlighted that the decision came from a United Nations body that was elected by member nations, including the Maldives, and is in regard to a treaty that the nation had both voluntarily signed and ratified in parliament.

“[On Maldives ignoring the decision] it would be to ignore the decision of a body that the Maldivian government has formally recognized as having competence to hear cases against it” Genser said.

Genser further said that while the decision may not lead to moves as dramatic as Maldives’ expulsion from the United Nations if it is to be ignored, it is important to Maldives having credible and fair elections in the future, in the eyes of the international community.

If the government does not agree to requalify Nasheed to run for office, it would further intensify the call for targeted sanctions against human rights abusers in the Maldives, Genser noted.

In regards to the political tension in the Maldives, Genser said that Nasheed would like to have more comprehensive dialogue with incumbent President Abdulla Yameen, who has ‘become more isolated than ever’.