Maldives won't allow religious extremism: Islamic Minister

Islamic Minister Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed has said that diverse views were expected in a democratic nation such as the Maldives but stressed that no room would be given for extremist views and beliefs in the Maldives. According to the Islamic Ministry, Shaheem made the statement during a courtesy call made by the US Ambassador to Maldives and Sri Lanka Michele J Sison. During the meeting the Minister had also shed light on the recent remarks made by former President Mohamed Nasheed during his recent visit to the UK, that Maldives faced the threat of an Al-Qaeda attack. On that note, Minister stressed that the Islamic...

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Posted in: News

Arrested 98 prostitutes since March: police

Maldivian police have revealed that they have arrested 98 prostitutes in Male’ since March this year, including some expatriate males. According to police, 58 of the alleged prostitutes have now been deported and sent back to their countries. In one instance police said a Bangladeshi expatriate who was caught and deported had changed his name and crossed the Maldivian border by changing his information. Police said the person was arrested a second time for involvement in prostitution. Police custody currently hold four Thai women, two Bangladeshi women and men, and three Maldivians in detention, all of them whom arrested in ...

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Posted in: Society

Born Free and Equal: a new publication of the UN Human Rights Office

The UN Human Rights Office has released a new publication on sexual orientation and gender identity in international human rights law Download and read the publication here The UN Human Rights Office has released a new publication on sexual orientation and gender identity in international human rights law. It sets out the source and scope of some of the core legal obligations that States have to protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The 60-page booklet is designed as a tool for States, to help them better understand the nature of their obligations and the steps required to meet them,...

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Posted in: Report

"I don’t think the Maldives is safe for me anymore" Interview with Ismail Hilath Rasheed, blogger and human rights defender

On 7th February 2012, the first democratically elected President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, resigned following a police mutiny; he was replaced by a coalition Government headed by his former Vice-President Mohamed Waheed. Mass demonstrations took place from 8th February onwards demanding early elections. Human rights violations and impunity has prevailed in recent months. Ismail Hilath Rasheed is a blogger (http://www.hilath.com), human rights defender and LGBT activist from the Maldives. He was stabbed in the neck on 4th June 2012 by radical Islamists. He had already been attacked in December 2011 and May 2012 for holding...

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Posted in: True Stories

Self-exiled blogger Hilath speaks at UN Human Rights Council

Maldivian journalist and blogger Ismail ‘Hilath’ Rasheed last week spoke at the United Nation’s Palace of Nations during the 21st session of the Human Rights Council (HRC). In a side event dedicated to the Maldives, Hilath spoke of his fears of rising fundamentalism in his home country and called for the international community to keep a close watch on the Maldives to ensure the protection of human rights and democratic freedoms. “Maldives may be a small country but it is not insignificant. It lies at a strategic crossroads and the cultural and political invasion of Maldives by Saudi-funded Wahhabi extremism will definitely have...

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Posted in: Politics / Religion,Society

MP Nasheed proposes bill criminalising sexual offenses

Independent Member of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed has published on his personal blog a bill he submitted to parliament in June this year, proposing to criminalise sexual offences. The bill defines actions to be taken against specific types of sexual offenses, including rape, spousal rape, prostitution, bestiality and incest. Nasheed stated that he felt a bill like this is immensely important because of the serious nature of modern day sexual offenses. He states that the current legislative framework governing such offenses is too lenient, and that the proposed bill would provide a stronger penalisation structure. Nasheed has...

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Posted in: Society

Islamic Ministry calls for ban on mixed-gender dancing

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has sent a circular to all government institutions banning the holding of any mixed gender dance events.   The circular, which was sent to all government offices, council offices and media, also calls for adolescent girls to be banned from activities requiring them to dance. Minister of Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed called on the government to cease including activities such as dancing and singing to mark various occasions. The administration of former President Mohamed Nasheed had included such dancing in official celebrations to promote and preserve traditional...

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Posted in: Politics / Religion,Society

High Court rules circumstantial evidence sufficient proof for child sexual offences

The High Court has ruled that in cases concerning sexual offences against children where there is not sufficient evidence as specified in the law,  the offence can be proven in court based on circumstantial evidence. The unanimous ruling was passed by a panel of three judges who presiding over an appeal lodged by a defendant, who had been sentenced to 10 years in jail by the Baa Atoll Fehendhoo Magistrate Court on charges of sexual abuse involving a child. Act number 12/2009, detailing special actions to be taken in cases of sexual offenses against children, states that a minimum of 5 out of 12 types of evidence specified...

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Posted in: Society

Police shut down beauty salon over suspected prostitution

Police on Wednesday night raided a beauty salon located on the third floor of the ‘Kolkatha’ building near the ‘Campus’ store in Male’ as part of an ongoing operation to target businesses and individuals with alleged links to prostitution. The Maldives Police Service’s Intelligence Department and Serious and Organised Crime Department announced they had conducted the joint special operation after receiving information that prostitution was taking place at the salon. According to police, two female Bangladesh nationals and a Thai woman were arrested during the raid.  Two male Bangladesh nationals and a Maldivian...

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Posted in: Society

I cried… during your speech

Yesterday, on my 37th birthday, I was Guest Speaker at a side event on Maldives at the 21st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council taking place from 10 to 28 September in Geneva Switzerland. My topic was rising Islamic extremism in Maldives and how it is threatening human rights in Maldives. Delegates and diplomats later met me and said that my speech “was great” and that they didn’t know before that Maldives was in such deeply troubled waters. “Thank you for coming here and telling us. I cried while listening to you during your speech,” a Kashmir delegate said to me. “Now I keep quiet about my Muslim identity because everywhere you travel around the world, Muslims are now seen in a bad light after the September 11 attacks on the United States,” she said. “It’s...

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Posted in: Politics / Religion,Society,True Stories

Military officer and security guard under investigation for homosexuality

Police is investigating the case of a Military officer having gay sex with a security guard at the Justice Building. The Criminal Court revealed that the two arrested by Police are Abdul Aziz Ali (from Baa atoll Thulhaadhoo's Kanamaage house) who is a security guard at the Justice Building and Ibrahim Mohamed (from Dhaalu atoll Maa-emboodhoo island) who is a Military officer. The Court disclosed that the two are accused of engaging in homosexual relations in a public space near Hiriya School on the evening of the 6th of this month. The Court also revealed that when they were arrested by Police from that area, the Court had extended detention for each of them by five days. And when the extension ran out last night, the Court has extended their detention by another 10 days.  Via...

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Posted in: Society

From sunrise to sunset: Maldives backtracking on democracy

During its fact-finding mission in the Maldives last August, FIDH was able to ascertain the deterioration of freedom of assembly and freedom of press, and collected accounts of victims of police brutality and arbitrary arrests. Most importantly, FIDH was able to witness the influence of radical groups detrimental to women's rights, among others, as demonstrated on 4th September with the sentencing of a 16-year old girl to flogging. These groups also call for the implementation of the death penalty as condoned in Sharia, by reversing the moratorium in place since 1953. The blogger and human rights defender Hilath Rasheed, an...

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Posted in: Society

Maldives' Court sentences 16 year-old girl to 100 lashes for sex act

A 16 year-old girl has been sentenced to 100 lashes, which she will face when she turns 18, by a Maldivian court for having sex.  The Hulhudhufaaru Magistrate Court in Raa Atoll also sentenced a 29 year-old man to 10 years imprisonment, after it found him guilty of having sex with the minor girl.  As she is a legally a minor, the court stated that the girl's sentence would be implemented when she turned 18, the Minivan News reported.  An official told the local media that the man travelled to the island after the girl invited him. The the girl's family noticed that she was not at home and went looking for her,...

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Posted in: News,Politics / Religion