The epitome of injustice: Journalist Ali Rasheed sentenced to life in absentia in a 'record' 29 days

"Obstruction of justice can take many forms," said Hameed, representative of jailed writer and ardent critic of Dictator Gayyoom of the Maldives. Alii Rasheed was taken to Maafushi Jail on November 29, 2007, where he continues to bide time until he can get his name cleared in the High Court. His trial and sentencing can only stand as testimony to the continued failure of the Maldives justice system which is heavily influenced by the dictator.

It took exactly 29 days, a record up until now, for the Gayyoom regime to decide that the former columnist of Minivan News and correspondent for Dhivehi Observer and Sandhaanu was guilty of possession of drugs.

Ali Rasheed was arrested on June 5, 2007, a month after his interview to the TV channel Al-Jazeera, during which he accused the Maldives Police Services of running a drugs-Mafia in the country.

The police does not have his statement and neither did the criminal court ask him to answer the allegations made against him by the Maldives Police Services. Yet they have found it just to sentence him in absentia merely on the 'say so' of the police, which is not only iron but quite simply beyond comprehension in a civilised society.

After several requests for an appeal, his first hearing was held on March 11, 2008 in the High Court. The judge agreed to admit into evidence the one document [the police statement advising Ali Rasheed the reason for his arrest] that the police had up until now refused to disclose despite repeated requests by Ali Rasheed as it would help clear the confusion surrounding the case

Ali Rasheed contends that the government is purposely obstructing a fair hearing and refusing to adhere to the rule of law. For one thing, he was given less than 24 hours notice before the first court hearing and because of this he was unable to study the documents relating to the case. He was also denied access his lawyer prior to the hearing. He was taken straight from the jail to the High Court in prison uniform, deprived of any opportunity to prepare for his case.  

Ali has appealed to the Home Ministry to grant him his rights but the ministry could not care less as it's headed by one of the staunch allies of the Maldives Dictator

The Maldivian justice system is such that there are many ways. In the past they would just lock their opponents and critics. This changed when the secret dictatorship in the Maldives was exposed by the democracy movement which began in the aftermath of the murder of Evan Naseem and his cell-mates in Maafushi jail by Maldives police in September 2003. Since then, the internet and other media has exposed this regime for who they really are and they were unable to arrest, detain and torture political opponents and critics because of pressure from the people as well as the international community.  However, they kept using other methods to apprehend and lockup reformists and journalists, like Ali Rasheed and Fahala Saeed, both of whom were well known journalists who were working with reformist media.

It is a shame on the regime of Dictator Gayyoom to claim that he has brought changes to the system, when these unjust acts remain brushed aside from the public media whilst reformists and journalists like Ali and Saeed remain locked up in prison cells for life.  

Related Links

• Am I to face the same fate as Fahala Saeed?

• Maldives Annual Report 2008 by Reporters without boarders

• From Protest to Primaries: A Year In the Maldives Media

MDP Saleem passes away

Breaking News

Colombo - MDP regional President for South Huvadhoo Atoll, Saleem Ali passed away very suddenly this morning after suffering a heart attack. He has been in Lanka for the past couple of months settling his family there. Mr. Saleem is one of the most prominent activists of MDP and has been under pressure from the Dictator as he is constantly called to appear in court and was jailed a few times in the last couple of year. Mr. Saleem is also a close relative of DO Editor in Chief, Sappe'. Saleem will be greatly missed. On behalf of DO readers and members of MDP, we send our deepest condolences to Saleem's family and pray to Almighty Allah to grant him eternal bliss.

Maldives News @ Dhivehi Observer 2007

A threat to national security? It's your decision

Despite what everyone says to the contrary, Islamic fundamentalism was never an issue worth bandying about until President Gayyoom made it so. And by doing so little does he realize the kind of hornet's nest he has opened up.

In the Maldives, the country is faced with burgeoning social problems. On one side of the spectrum are the so-called parteys comprising of the majority of the nation's youth and on the other side, the bearded and the veiled generally referred to as the Wahhabi's who are being collectively being branded as extremists.

The definition of an extremist, according to the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary: a person who holds extreme views, especially in politics or religion.

Insofar as I am concerned, coming from a tolerant society, extremists too can have their niche in the social order so long as they do not become a threat to the society. They can hold any kind of extreme views, be it in politics or religion – a difference of opinion is not a problem – so long as they do not pose a threat to the rest of us.

Propagating violence and carrying out acts of violence are definitely a threat to any society. Yet today, in this community of ours, this rare breed of humanity known as Maldivians, violence is fast becoming an everyday occurrence.

Coming from a nation where there is more sea than land and according to the tourist brochures where even the sharks are friendly we have to be ashamed of ourselves today to acknowledge that violence has become a fact of everyday life.

Gang warfare conducted with swords, iron bars and flick knives, riot police high on speed clashing with protestors on the streets, the introduction of electric batons and pepper gas as a means of controlling peace loving citizens demanding for their rights has become the norm not only in the capital Male' but the disease has spread to the provinces as well. I wonder if all this has had any effects on the sharks roaming the Maldivian seas purported to be friendly at least up until now.

The military or the Maldivian National Defense Force (the abbreviated letters MNDF stands for Maumoon, Nasreena, Dunya and Farish according to analysts) can be seen in combat gear patrolling the streets of Male' carrying pistols since certain extremist elements blew a home made bomb of the kindergarten variety near the Sultan Park gate, adjacent to the MNDF headquarters. What was especially frightening was that the targets were European tourists, the major contributor to the nation's economy.

What was even more frightening was that President Gayyoom saw fit to launch an attack against a generally peace abiding community on Hemandhoo Island who up until now has shown no inclination towards violence. Sure – they held certain extreme religious views but they have mostly kept to themselves and weren't a threat to anyone until Gayyoom attacked them blindly. He has also launched a policy of unveiling veiled women – all in the name of security measures against terrorism.

And according to the latest news reports members of the Hemandhoo community have called upon the help of Al-Qaeda. Should Al-Qaeda decide to comply with the request of their Muslim brethren, and by doing so target European tourists it would destroy years of hard work by the likes of Champa Afeef, the Universal Group and of course Qasim Ibrahim not to mention a score of others with vested interests in the tourism industry.

I very much doubt we require the expertise of Condolizza Rice or General Norman Schwarzkopf to tell us where the problem lies or the direction the country is headed. A senile old man by the name of Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom and his reluctance to let a smarter younger generation take over the nation's helm is the root cause of the problems facing the nation and unless we consider it our collective responsibility to ease or tease him out of office, we could be facing a national disaster any day.

State terrorism has given birth to terrorism of the kindergarten variety. And we must bear in mind that from little acorns do mighty oaks grow.