Chairperson of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Fayyaz Ismail has met with Abdulla Mahzoom Majid and Aishath Shiman Ahmed, who were at the forefront of the series of protests calling for justice for 21-year-old Hawwa Yumnu Rasheed, who was found fallen onto the roof of an adjacent warehouse from the ninth floor of H. Fentenoy in the early hours of 18 April 2025.

The meeting with Mahzoom and Shiman, who were arrested during Wednesday's youth protest and unfairly charged, was to discuss the case against them and to reassure that MDP will remain steadfast in defending the right to freedom of expression and assembly.

Fayyaz had earlier asserted that these charges were made to obstruct freedom of expression and intimidate the youth.

Expressing concern over the criminal charges against Mahzoom and Shiman, Fayyaz said it was absurd and cruel to violently push young people into the criminal justice system for exercising their right to freedom of expression and protest.

Highlighting the regrettable nature of politically motivated charges, Fayyaz said that the charges against these two young people were also political and shameful. He added that this was a pathetic attempt by the current administration to silence the voice of the youth community.

Mahzoom and Shiman were arrested for three days during the series of protests in Yumnu's case. The Prosecutor General's Office (PG Office) submitted charges against them to the Criminal Court on May 25. This was reportedly because they refused to agree to a cautionary agreement.

However, Shiman has stated that the cautionary agreement presented was a threatening agreement that forced them to plead guilty to all charges. Mahzoom's lawyer, Raishan, said that the agreement proposed by the PG Office required them to admit to crimes they didn't commit.

Mahzoom has been charged with touching or assaulting a police officer. Shiman has been charged with deliberately obstructing the work of a law enforcement officer. According to the charge sheet sent to Mahzoom, he is charged under Article 120(a)(1) with reference to Article 120(b)(3) of the Penal Code.

The punishment for this offense is one year, seven months, and six days in prison. The maximum sentence is four years in prison.

The form sent to Shiman states that she is charged under Article 532(a) with reference to Article 532(b) of the Penal Code.

This article refers to intentionally stopping, obstructing, or preventing a person described in subsection (a)(2) from performing an act that is legally permissible in their official capacity. Subsection (2) refers to knowing that the person is a law enforcement officer or an employee who oversees a detention facility.

The punishment for this offense is four months and 24 days in prison. The maximum sentence is one year behind bars.

Shiman and Mahzoom were taken into police custody while they were peacefully protesting, when the police approached them and tried to create unrest.

However, no footage shows either of them obstructing police duties or showing disobedience. But footage does show Mahzoom being thrown to the ground and his shirt being torn when he was arrested. The footage shows that Shiman and Mahzoom were arrested without any reason. Mahzoom is also a lawyer who is actively involved in the youth movement seeking justice for Yumnu. He was arrested after being forced to the ground and handcuffed.