India urges Maldives govt to ‘abide’ by Court’s order to release 9 key political prisoners
Opposition parties in the Maldives today demanded the immediate resignation of President Abdulla Yameen after the island nation’s top court ordered the release of nine key political prisoners, clearing the way for exiled former leader Mohamed Nasheed to return to politics.
Nasheed, 50, the country’s first democratically-elected leader, was sentenced to 13 years in jail on terror charges in 2015 over the arbitrary arrest of chief criminal judge Abdullah Muhammed during his presidency. The UK granted him asylum after he was authorised to seek medical treatment there amid mounting foreign pressure. The ruling by the Supreme Court came yesterday during the hearing of a petition by the joint opposition which had sought the removal of President Yameen, alleging corruption, misrule and rights abuses.
Though the judges did not deliver a judgment on that request, they ordered the release of nine political prisoners, saying the trials against them violated the Maldives’ Constitution and international law.
The apex court also reinstated 12 members of parliament who had defected to the Opposition and lost their seats last year. Nasheed, who is among the prisoners ordered freed, said in a tweet: “Welcome tonight’s SC ruling calling for the immediate release of political prisoners and the restoration of …read more
