Jailed representative of Dhiggaru constituency in Parliament, Ahmed Faris Maumoon has filed a court against the state over the obstruction of the rights of his constituents due to him being deprived of attending parliament sittings.
Faris’s lawyers had on Wednesday, filed the lawsuit at the Civil Court, which states that Dhiggaru constituents are deprived of their rights under article 26 of the Maldives constitution which states that every citizen of the Maldives above 18 years of age has the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
The lawsuit states that those who have infringed on the rights of citizens as stated under the constitution must be penalized and that the state must give compensation over the rights lost by citizens during the time Faris was not allowed to join parliament sittings.
It further stated that relevant institutions need to take action against those who unlawfully infringed on Faris’ rights to carry out his responsibilities as an elected member of Parliament.
Faris was taken into police custody on the 18th of July and he has since been deprived of attending parliament sittings. Faris has since been charged with identity fraud for the use of ruling Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM)'s flag and logo at a press conference held by the opposition coalition, and slapped with a prison sentence of four months and 24 days.
