Two individuals arrested for attempted assault on police officers during the opposition coalition’s protest staged on Friday, have been released.

Maldives Police Service (MPS) confirmed that the two were released after being slapped with fines. They were to be taken to the court for their remand hearing on Saturday, however, they were fined and released instead.

The opposition coalition comprising of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People’s National Congress (PNC), staged the rally on Friday evening in clear violation of the safety guidelines and measures set forth by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in light of the wide spreading Covid-19 pandemic and officers active in the region initially arrested 25 individuals, out of which 23 were released on Friday night after being penalized for violating HPA guidelines amid a pandemic.

The protest saw opposition supporters pouring onto Boduthakurufaanu Magu in Malé City and some of them were observed to harass law enforcement officers while calling to free their jailed leader, former president Abdulla Yameen who was jailed for five years after having been found guilty of laundering money through state coffers.

During Friday’s protest in front of PPM’s Head Office in the capital city, the opposition protestors voiced criticism towards the incumbent administration, accusing the government of selling land in the Maldives to India. They also voiced that India has been allowed to interfere with the sovereignty of Maldives as a state. Police officers had cordoned off the area to prevent the public from gathering in the region.

Due to an alarming increase in Covid-19 cases being reported over the past few weeks, authorities had declared that strict action would be taken against violators of Covid-19 precautions in place. In a directive signed by the Director General of Public Health and publicized on February 13, HPA disallowed gatherings of more than 10 individuals at public spaces in the Greater Malé Region.