A Human - Rights Crisis Wracks Paradise

 
The Maldives enjoyed a brief period of democracy, until the electedpresident was deposed in a coup.

By Jared Genser and Julia Kuperminc

Without urgent action, democracy hero and former MaldivesPresident mohamedNasheed, could perish in his island prison. Now suffering from a major spinal injuryexacerbated by the lack of appropriate medical care, he is in intense pain and parts of oneside of his body, including his fingers and face, are numb.Two independent doctors selected by the government recommended he havemicrosurgery on his spine, a procedure not available in the Maldives.

 Yet currentPresident Abdulla Yameen has refused a medical evacuation and now appears content tolet Mr. Nasheed die. The world cannot let Mr. Nasheed’s story end this way.

After 30 years of dictatorship under former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, theMaldives briefly became a budding democracy. In 2008, Mr. Nasheed was electedpresident in the first democratic polls held since the country’s independence.During his tenure, Mr. Nasheed strove to reestablish the judiciary as an independent andimpartial branch of the government.

 He pushed for democratic reforms aimed atrespecting human rights, due process and ruleof law, and he fought to end the previousregime’s rampant corruption.In 2012, those aligned with the former dictatorship staged a coup and deposed Mr.Nasheed. Now, Mr. Gayoom’s half brother Abdulla Yameen is president, Mr. Gayoom’sdaughter Dunya Maumoon is foreign minister, and Mr. Gayoom himself remains theleader of their political party.

This past February, after a key coalition partner of the government defected to Mr.Nasheed’s side, prosecutors brought bogus terrorism charges against the formerpresident. During a 19day trial, he was denied the right to call any defense witnesses andwas repeatedly denied access to counsel. No credible evidence was presented to justifythe charge against him. The court sentenced him to 13 years in prison.Mr. Nasheed’s situation reflects the deplorable state of human rights and rule of law inthe Maldives. 

More than 1,700 Maldivians face charges and imprisonment for exercisingtheir freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. As Mr. Yameen’s fear of his own peoplehas increased, he has purged leaders in an array of government institutions.In the last year alone, the government impeached two successive vice presidents,Mohamed Jameel and Ahmed Adeeb. The latter is now imprisoned and facing charges oftreason. Mr. Yameen also sacked two defense ministers (one of whom is nowimprisoned), fired two police commissioners and the prosecutor general, and orchestratedthe removal of the chief justice of the Supreme Court.In response to widespread condemnation, the government has rejected the “suggestion

That [President Nasheed] is a ‘political prisoner,’” and claimed the depiction of theMaldives as a repressive regime “is an unfounded characterization.” Mr. Yameen ignorescalls from numerous world leaders to release political prisoners, including Mr. Nasheed.The police have raided and harassed independent TV stations, peppersprayed peacefulprotestors, and assaulted and arrested journalists. Home Minister Umar Naseer recentlydecided to ban public protests, saying, “Thestreets should be safe and peaceful. It ispublic property, not grounds for political activities and disorder.”

Even as Mr. Yameen doubles down on domestic dissent and purges alleged traitorswithin his own ranks, he ignores the growing threat of extremism in the country. Morethan 200 island jihadists have traveled from the Maldives to join ISIS.

 In per capitaterms, this is likely more than any other country outside the Middle East.Human rights in the Maldives deteriorate by the day. Mr. Yameen’s repression of his ownpeople and the lack of economic opportunity are fueling extremism. So far, thegovernment has refused to change course.Meanwhile, Mr. Nasheed’s life hangs in the balance. Earlier this year, the United Nationsconcluded it was “clearly impossible to invoke any legal basis justifying [his] deprivationof liberty.”

The world must demand Mr. Nasheed’s evacuation on urgent humanitarian grounds. Butto have a broader impact on Mr. Yameen’s regime, the international community mustimpose asset freezes and travel bans targeted against gross humanrights abusers.Suchactions must be accompanied with exposure oftherepression, challenging the regime’srepeated lies. Maldivian officials should be challenged on the regime’s record as theytravelthe world. Only intense pressure can force Mr. Yameen to yield.

Mr. Genser is founder of Freedom Now, where Ms. Kuperminc is a law clerk. They serveas pro bono counsel to imprisonedformerMaldivian President Mohamed Nasheed.

source- The wall street journal http://perseus-strategies.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Maldives-12-16-15.pdf