Alleged Sri Lankan sniper released

A Sri Lankan man charged with being involved in a plot to assassinate former President Abdulla Yameen has been released by the court.

Lahiru Madhushanka was released on Wednesday.

Arrested in 2015, he is accused of being a highly trained sniper paid by then-Vice President Ahmed Adeeb to assassinate President Yameen.

A recent report by Amnesty International detailed the ill-treatment the Sri Lankan had been subject to inside the Maldives prison system, including “prolonged solitary confinement and beatings with cables”.

Citing his lawyers, Amnesty said that Madhushanka was beaten by police officers five days after his arrest, “until he lost consciousness.”

The report highlighted numerous issues with his trial proceedings, including how he was not able to understand anything as it was conducted in Dhivehi.