Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has called for “an immediate, full and transparent investigation” into the death of prominent blogger Yameen Rasheed.

The 29-year-old was found on the staircase of his residence at around 3 am on Saturday, with multiple stab wounds. He died while receiving treatment at Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).

In a statement issued on Sunday, MDP said that it had learnt of Yameen’s ‘brutal and appalling murder’ with ‘deep sadness’, describing him as ‘a pro-democracy and liberal blogger’.

It called on the government to launch ‘an immediate, full and transparent investigation into the murder, with the involvement of credible international investigative bodies’.

The government has since released a statement, condemning the murder, and calling on all state agencies ‘to fully deploy their resources in bringing the perpetrators of this heinous act to justice’.

Yameen, who had received numerous death threats via social media, had filed complaints at the Maldives Police Service (MPS), but to no avail.

“Yameen Rasheed’s murder follows a spate of similar stabbings of prominent politicians and political commentators,” noted MDP, highlighting the 2012 murder of Dr. Afrasheem Ali, the attack on blogger Hilath Rasheed that nearly cost him his life, as well as the disappearance of journalist Ahmed Rilwan.

The party emphasized that police is yet to find the culprits in the cases.

Yameen was the chief editor of ‘The Daily Panic’, an investigative and sarcastic look into the weekly political and social issues facing the country, and was also heavily involved in various work to help the community.