Justice Hameed’s trial: Police videotaped his arrest, says State

Police had videotaped their arrest of Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and Justice Ali Hameed at the Supreme Court, said the state prosecutor at the preliminary hearing on the terrorism charges on Justice Ali Hameed on Monday.

Assistant Prosecutor General Aishath Fazna said that the video recording of Ali Hameed’s arrest could be presented to court upon request. She said this after claims were made that Ali Hameed had fallen down the stairs during the arrest.

Ali Hameed claimed that the fall had caused injuries to his hip, causing numbness in his lower body and trouble walking. Replying to the claim, Fazna said that the video recording does not indicate that he had fallen.

Afterwards, Ali Hameed said that he has numerous health complications including high blood pressure and heart problems. He said that he has recently undergone a heart operation and that he has not been receiving adequate medical treatment in prison. Hameed did not respond to the state prosecutor’s claim that the video recording did not show him falling down the stairs.

Hameed also said that although the correctional service allows him to leave his prison cell from 7am to 6pm, he is too weak to do so.

At Monday’s hearing, presiding judge Ahmed Hailam allowed Hameed to sit down and talk due to his poor health. Hameed had talked very softly during the hearing with a slight tremor, causing reporters to miss some of his speech.