Headlines
Maldives High Court throws out Nasheed's appeal
Male, March 15
The Maldives High Court on Sunday dismissed former president Mohamed Nasheed's appeal against his arrest order.
The
court threw out Nasheed's appeal against his February 22 arrest as he
refused to enter the courtroom for the first hearing of his appeal case
in protest because the hearing was not open to the public.
Ahead
of the court hearing scheduled at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nasheed's legal team
had requested that the court hold an open and public hearing. However,
only members of Nasheed's legal team and family were allowed inside the
courtroom, said Maldivian broadcasting company vnews.
The news
site, quoting sources, said Nasheed refused to enter the courtroom after
the court turned down his request for an open hearing.
The court
also noted that it held the authority to carry out a closed hearing,
despite Nasheed's legal team requesting for an open one.
Nasheed
had appealed against the arrest order issued by the criminal court
directing he be detained until the end of his terror trial by the court,
stating that he had a history of "evading courts".
Nasheed and
several top officials of his administration face terror charges for the
controversial military detention of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla
Mohamed in January 2012 when Nasheed was in power. The court on Friday
had found Nasheed guilty of the charges pressed against him, and
sentenced him to a 13-year jail term.
"Nasheed is found guilty of
arresting and illegally detaining judge Abdulla Mohamed," judge Abdulla
Didi told the court in an order shortly before midnight on Friday.
Nasheed,
meanwhile, was quoted by his office as saying: "I appeal to all of you
today to stay courageous and strong, to confront the dictatorial power
of this regime."
Meanwhile, his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has decided to launch a national civil disobedience campaign to free Nasheed.
A
resolution passed at an MDP national council meeting declared that the
party does not accept the conviction and sentencing of its party chief.
The conviction on charges of terrorism effectively bars Nasheed from contesting the presidential elections in 2018.
Nasheed
had called on supporters to confront President Abdulla Yameen's
"dictatorial regime" and "to take all of your lives in your hands and to
go out onto the streets in protest".
The MDP has called for mass protests in Male against Nasheed's conviction.
Nasheed will remain the party's president and 2018 presidential candidate, MP for Galholhu North MP Eva Abdulla said.
India,
in a statement on Saturday, voiced deep concern at the developments in
Maldives and said it is monitoring the situation closely.
Human
rights group Amnesty International has termed the conviction as deeply
flawed and a politically motivated travesty of justice.
The US
embassy in Sri Lanka also said it was "particularly troubled" by reports
that the trial was not in line with Maldivian law and the country's
international obligations.
The Human Rights Commission of
Maldives has noted that during the criminal court proceedings against
Nasheed on charges of terrorism, "there were concerns regarding the due
process of law, in that certain rights as stipulated in the Constitution
as well as in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
were not fully ensured".
Maldives seeks respect for ruling on ex-president
Maldives President Yameen Abdul Gayoom on Sunday sought respect for a decision taken by a court to sentence former president Mohamed Nasheed to 13 years in jail.The president also said that Nasheed had a constitutionally guaranteed right of appeal, should he choose to do so, in line with Maldivian laws, Xinhua reported.
"The government calls on its international partners to engage constructively, based on mutual respect and dialogue in consolidating and strengthening democratic values and institutions in the country," said Yameen in a statement issued by his office.
On Friday, the Maldives Criminal Court sentenced Nasheed to 13 years in jail on charges of terrorism.
Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said the trial, which lasted less than three weeks, was "blatantly politicised". It was also widely criticised in the Maldives and abroad.
MDP spokesman Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said that Nasheed was repeatedly denied legal representation and the right to appeal.
His defence witnesses were prevented from taking the stand and prosecution witnesses were routinely coached by the judges and the police, said the spokesman.
Nasheed's legal team resigned last week, saying the court had refused them proper time to prepare a defence.
Nasheed was elected into office in 2008. In February 2012, he was ousted in a coup.