Yameen Murder Trial: US calls to ensure justice for “brave and outspoken champion for free speech"
Yameen was stabbed to death on the 23rd of April 2017
Yameen Rasheed
The United States of America has called on Maldivian authorities to ensure justice for murdered writer Yameen Rasheed.
Monday marks the one-year anniversary of the blogger’s murder.
Noting that Yameen was a “brave and outspoken champion for free speech,” the US Embassy in Sri Lanka via twitter called on authorities ‘to ensure justice for Yameen’ and to find missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan. US High Commissioner to Maldives, Atul Keshap had retweeted the tweet.
Yameen’s body was found on the stairwell of his home on 23rd April 2017, stabbed over 30 times. While six suspects have been arrested over the murder, authorities have chosen to hold the trial behind closed doors. This was received by immense criticism from the public, including the international community.
Also on Monday, British High Commissioner to the Maldives James Dauris said that Yameen was killed for ‘exercising his right to freedom of expression and defending the human rights he stood bravely for,’ adding that ‘justice for Yameen will help Maldives to ensure that this young man did not lose his life in vain’.
Amnesty International, CIVICUS and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also made statements as the country marks one-year since the tragic and brutal murder, with RSF saying that is the trial in Yameen’s murder case is not opened up, ‘there will inevitably be doubts about the verdict’.
