12:42 AM
Editor
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 advocate of religious tolerance, was stabbed in the neck last
June. Invited by FIDH in Paris and Geneva this week, he stated about this attack: "Extremists attacked me cowardly
on 4th June. I narrowly survived and they tried to kill me again while I was in hospital. Although I am now in exile, I
ask the Maldivian authorities to launch an investigations, which is yet to be done.", said Hilath Rasheed.
Posted in: Society
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