Will not back down from reform work, even if whole family is thrown behind bars: MP Faris

Will remain steadfast in reform efforts even if entire family is thrown behind bars, says jailed Dhiggaru constituency MP Ahmed Faris Maumoon.

Speaking to media at a press conference hosted by the Maumoon Reform Movement on Saturday, former Executive Coordinator at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Thazmeel Samad said that they had met the jailed parliamentarian where he is being incarcerated in Dhoonidhoo island and that he had told them that he 'will remain steadfast in reform efforts even if entire family is thrown behind bars'.

“He told me that he remains there not because he can bear it, but because if the movement for reform is not steered by someone for the sake of Maldivian citizens, no one from the international community is going to come to do it for the nation. He said that even if he has to spend the rest of his life in incarceration, he will remain resilient in the work for reform” said Thazmeel.

Foreign relations coordinator for former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s ‘Maumoon Reform Movement’, Nishana Hassan, also speaking at the conference, stressed that Faris has been incarcerated for a period of 13 months under several 'baseless' allegations. Moreover, she said that the day witness testimonies were taken against the lawmaker in his trial hearing, the witness had claimed in court that they did not wish to give false testimonies against Faris. Nishana went on to add that the state is yet to investigate this the testimony.

“They are yet again investigating terrorism charges against him with the accusation of offering bribes. The court trials in said charges are laughable. I wonder what they are trying to ensue by shrouding the witness testimonies in the court proceedings. Are they not trying to shroud testimonies because there are discrepancies in the court trials?” posed Nishana.

Further speaking at the conference, member of MRM’s Youth Wing, Mohamed Faisal said that Faris is one of the most courageous politicians the modern generation has seen and that there hasn not been the slightest hiccup in his devotion to reform work although he has been in prison for over a year.

“Although Faris has spent 13 months in incarceration, there hasn’t been any hindrances in his efforts to bring reform into the nation. This is the truth observed by the entire nation. Even then, Faris had put in his best efforts within the parliament to make the current administration accountable” said Faisal.

Former Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, Shazail Shiyam said that the ones who have hijacked the ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) after having snatched leadership from jailed former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, are 'not truly sincere to the party'.

Faris was arrested in July 2017 following accusations of attempting to overthrow the government of his uncle, incumbent President Abdulla Yameen by offering bribes to fellow parliamentarians. While it has been a year since his incarceration, the strongest evidence against him, presented by the state was the parliamentarian he had allegedly bribed. However, the parliamentarian had since testified in Faris’s defense in court following which the trial had been halted and remains buried since then.

The lawmaker has since been convicted with a prison sentence of four months and 24 days in prison after being found guilty of identity theft for using PPM's flag and logo at a joint opposition party conference.