Maldiv Crisis : Prez declared emergency,Troops arrested top judge of the country
COLOMBO : Exiled former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed today urged India to “act swiftly” to help in resolving the ongoing political crisis in the island nation that escalated after President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency and troops arrested the top judge of the country.
A political crisis has occurred in the island nation of Maldives after President Abdulla Yameen defied the country’s Supreme Court order, which asked for the immediate release of former president Mohamed Nasheed and other opposition leaders. President Yameen then proceeded to declare a 15-day state of emergency.
After the emergency declaration, Maldivian security forces stormed the Supreme Court and arrested Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and another judge. Soon after, Mr Nasheed reacted to the developments, urging immediate neighbor India to intervene in the political crisis and “act swiftly”.
India, meanwhile, has expressed concern over the developments in the Indian Ocean island nation, and has issued a travel advisory, asking citizens to not travel to the country until the political crisis is resolved.
China has also expressed hope for the government and the opposition to resolve the crisis on their own. China has since 2011, started expanding interests in the Maldives, which occupies a strategic location in the Indian Ocean.
The picturesque Indian Ocean archipelago was plunged into chaos on Thursday when the Supreme Court called for the release of nine imprisoned opposition politicians, ruling that their trials were politically motivated and flawed.
The government refused to implement the ruling, prompting a wave of protests in the capital, Male, with angry clashes between police and demonstrators. Abdulla Yameen yesterday declared a state of emergency. Within hours, Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and another judge, Ali Hameed, were arrested. No details were given about the investigation or any charges.
Md.Nasheed urged India to “act swiftly”
Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has allied himself with the opposition, was detained at his home. Mohamed Nasheed, whose Maldivian Democratic Party functions from Colombo, asked for India’s help. He urged India to “act swiftly” to resolve the crisis.
In a statement MDP, Nasheed said, “We would like the Indian government to send an envoy, backed by its military, to free the judges and the political detainees, including former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, from their detention and to bring them to their homes. We are asking for a physical presence”.
“President Yameen’s announcement which declares a state of emergency, the banning of fundamental freedoms, and the suspension of the Supreme Court is tantamount to a declaration of martial law in the Maldives. This declaration is unconstitutional and illegal. Nobody in the Maldives is required to, nor should, follow this unlawful order,” Mr Nasheed said.
Earlier, Mohamed Nasheed also expressed concern over President Yameen’s deliberate delay in implementing the Supreme Court ruling to immediately release political prisoners.
“This deliberate refusal by the government to uphold the Constitution further destabilises the Maldives and wider Indian Ocean security,” Mr Nasheed said.
Mohamed Nasheed, 50, the country’s first democratically-elected leader — was sentenced to 13 years in jail on terror charges in March 2015 over the arbitrary arrest of chief criminal judge Abdullah Muhammed during his presidency.*With Agency Inputs ).
