A digest of news and opinion from the Maldives.
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. […]
The Maldives prisons authority has formally sought police assistance to bring back Jumhooree Party leader Gasim Ibrahim, whose medical leave in Singapore expired Monday night. Gasim, sentenced to three years in absentia for attempted bribery, was released on medical furlough for cardiovascular treatment in September. He was initially given 10 days medical leave which was […]
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. […]
Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jaime Lannister in the hit series, has called climate change “the big unknown” and warned of its devastating consequences. Coster-Waldau made the remarks at the end of a three-day visit to the Maldives, which is facing a rise in its sea levels and the bleaching of its […]
TV stations have been warned against broadcasting footage live-streamed on social media by MPs who are inside the parliament chamber. In a circular released Monday, the Broadcasting Commission of Maldives said such videos contained “obscene language and content contrary to standards of public decency”. These contents also defamed members of parliament, the statement said. The […]
Jumhooree party leader Gasim Ibrahim can be declared a fugitive, the Maldives prison authority has said, after the latest deadline for his return to Male passed on Monday night. Gasim, sentenced to three years in absentia for attempted bribery, was released on medical furlough for cardiovascular treatment in September. He was initially given 10 days […]
Legal measures for the prosecution and prevention of sorcery and black magic need to be ‘streamlined’, authorities have told the Maldives Independent. Belief in sorcery and black magic, known locally as fanditha and sihuru, is common in the Maldives. Fanditha is allowed for licensed parties under a 1978 law. Sihuru, enlisting demons to harm others, […]