Maldivians do not want punishment to be the purpose of prisons, says Vice President Faisal Naseem.
He said this while speaking at a ceremony held to inaugurate Ooredoo’s ‘Smart Campus: Digital Classroom’ programme in Maafushi Prison on Sunday.
The vice president said that prisons must be used “to reform and rehabilitate offenders and prepare prisoners for life outside.”
Further noting that “society will not alienate anyone,” VP Naseem stated that the current administration’s work to educate prisoners will show its commitment to improving the country’s education sector.
He said that the government’s aim is to teach prisoners how to use their skills in a positive way, and help them re-enter the society and have a family life.
“As long as a person is living, they should have the opportunity to learn. I do not believe that a person should be deprived of this because of a mistake,” he said, adding that those that have served prison sentences should also be given the chance to contribute to the country.
Home Minister Imran Abdulla expressed the same sentiments at Sunday’s event, saying that he does not believe that prisons should be used to punish, rather to rehabilitate.
The home minister spent over three years in prison during former President Abdulla Yameen’s administration, after being sentenced to 12 years in prison on a terror conviction. His case was submitted to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD), who declared his detention unlawful.
Following his release in November 2018, Imran had expressed concern over the deteriorated conditions at prison facilities.
After being appointed as home minister, Imran noted that the current conditions in these facilities are “so bad” that the individuals would require rehabilitation after completing their sentences.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has since formed a seven-member commission to carry out an audit of prisons and compile a report on ways to improve these conditions so as to ensure the rights of all convicts. This is included in his ambitious 100-day agenda.
