A digest of news and opinion from the Maldives.
Police are investigating two migrant workers who were arrested for brewing alcohol in Male’. One Bangladeshi and one Indian worker were arrested late Thursday in an operation carried out by the Drug Enforcement Department. The officers searched the residential premises with a court warrant. Possession and distribution of alcohol without a licence is a crime […]
The family of murdered blogger Yameen Rasheed has expressed concern over the closed hearings of the seven defendants charged with his death. Yameen, a prominent blogger and Internet activist, was stabbed to death in April and was found with multiple stab wounds in the stairway of his apartment building in Malé. He died soon after […]
A 40-year-old Bangladeshi man has been found dead with severe head wounds at a Hulhumalé construction site, prompting concern and regret from the country’s ambassador. Police told media that the man was found dead at a Damas Construction site at around 8:20 am. They have yet to say whether they are treating the death as murder. […]
Delays in carrying out the death penalty due will be resolved by October 8, the home minister has said, despite international condemnation of the country resuming executions. The Maldives in 2014 ended a six-decade moratorium on capital punishment, with President Abdulla Yameen previously declaring the island nation would be ready for executions last month. “By […]
The closed-door trial of a religious scholar accused of performing a sexual act with a minor while in a position of trust began Wednesday. The preliminary hearing involving Sheikh Mohamed Shafiu was closed to the media and public to protect the rights of the underage student, who accused the former university lecturer of sexual assault. […]
There are staggeringly low conviction rates for corruption-related crimes in the Maldives, a new reported has revealed. The report, from NGO Transparency Maldives, said only one corruption-related case reached conviction between 2010 and 2014 despite 175 cases being submitted for prosecution by the Anti-Corruption Commission. The single conviction refers to the sentencing of Kaashidhoo MP […]
A 23-year-old has been arrested for “physically taking part” in the murder of a man in Hulhumalé, police said Sunday, but they refused to comment on whether they were looking for anyone else who might have been involved. Haris Abdul Gafoor from the island of Dhaandhoo in Gaaf Alif atoll was pronounced dead at the […]
Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the sudden and unexplained deaths of a 22-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman in Hulhumalé. Ahmed Haameen, from the island of Thimarafushi in Thaa atoll, and Fathmath Sama, from the capital Malé, were pronounced dead on arrival at the Hulhumalé hospital around 8:30 pm on Thursday night, […]
A 25-year-old man was stabbed to death Friday night near the halfway house for recovering addicts in Hulhumalé. Local media has identified the victim as Haris Abdul Ghafoor from the island of Dhaandhoo in Gaaf Alif atoll. According to the Hulhumalé hospital, he was stabbed eight times and was pronounced dead upon arrival. Raajje TV […]