The prison convictions of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and Justice Ali Hameed represents the latest in a series of politically motivated efforts to silence the opposition, further undermine the judiciary, and ensure President Abdulla Yameen’s victory in the September polls, says Human Rights Watch.
In an article on Friday, the watchdog’s Asia director Brad Adams writes that the Criminal Court sentenced the three to 19 months in prison on June 13 in a “blatant move to strengthen President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s grip on power”.
They were found guilty of obstruction of justice for refusing to hand over their mobile phones to police right after their arrest on February 6.
President Yameen had called for their arrest after the two justices voted to overturn the convictions of nine opposition members on February 1, clearing the way for them to contest the September elections. Yameen denounced that ruling as “an attempted coup” and arrested the three men, including other politicians and state officials, after declaring a state of emergency.
Multiple procedural irregularities marred the trials, said Adams, adding that, on May 22, the court rejected several pretrial motions from Gayoom’s defense lawyer, Maumoon Hameed, related to Gayoom’s health.
Hameed later recused himself and said that the grave procedural defects and hearings in absentia are hindering Gayoom’s right to a fair trial. While lawyers for justices Hameed and Saeed also resigned, Criminal Court Judge Hassan Najeeb refused the appeals from the defendants for time to appoint new lawyers. The court had also refused to hear testimonies from defense witnesses during the trial.
The Maldives government has brushed off criticism from India, the US, and the UK, by stating that the three men were sentenced “as per national laws, regulations and procedures governing the criminal justice system in the Maldives,” and that “the Maldivian government was committed to upholding the rule of law.”
“Not really. Yameen’s government is running fast in the opposite direction, toward one party rule and widening repression,” said Adams.
