No grounds to transfer detained Yemeni national to house arrest: Civil Court

Civil Court has ruled that there are no grounds to transfer Yaser Yahya Saleh, a Yemeni national detained over terror allegations, to house arrest.

His team filed a case at the court seeking to transfer his to house arrest, for the duration of the trial against the Maldivian government’s decision to nullify his marriage visa and deport him.

The case filed by his team on July 13 notes that Yahya has been facing various physical and emotional damages while under custody, and claimed that there is fear for his life.

Yaser Yahya, married to a local woman, was arrested over terrorism allegations in March 2017. Employed as a teacher at both Ahmadhiyya School and Al-Arabiyya, he was arrested days prior to a scheduled visit by the Saudi King, which was later cancelled.

The court order authorizing his arrest, based entirely on a police intelligence report, described him as a suspect in recruiting locals to an international terrorist militia.

In January 2019, Home Minister Imran Abdulla described that case against Yahya as a “serious” one. However, he did not reveal any additional details claiming that it could threaten public peace and security.

While authorities had attempted to deport Yahya, he has been refusing to cooperate with authorities.

In a statement released in August 2019, Yahya’s family accused authorities of negligence and inhumane treatment. He had gone on a hunger strike in June that year.

Noting that the strike had caused his health to deteriorate, the family claimed that authorities had not made any attempts to resolve the matter.