The health authorities have drawn up new rules to stop the sale of single cigarettes and introduce graphic warning images on packs and tobacco products. The sale of single sticks of cigarettes needs to be banned because “it is a tactic mainly used to lure children and young adolescents into smoking,” Dr Aishath Aroona, vice chair […]
A port worker was severely burned and two others injured when an oil barrel exploded Tuesday morning near the welding workshop at the Maldives Ports Limited’s commercial harbour in Malé. A police spokesman said the victims were rushed to the hospital shortly after the incident was reported around 10 am. The three MPL staff were working near […]
The following is a translation of a petition signed by 56 lawyers outlining serious concerns with the Maldivian judiciary. We, lawyers, are signing this petition because we are concerned about the situation of justice in the Maldives. We, therefore, call upon the relevant state authorities to address the concerns outlined herein. A majority of the […]
A group of international human rights groups have called on the Supreme Court to lift the suspension of more than 50 lawyers who signed a petition calling for judicial reform, criticising the lack of due process before the unprecedented move. “None of the 56 lawyers has been allowed to exercise their right to defend themselves or […]
The Prosecutor General’s office has revised charges raised against MP Faris Maumoon from accepting bribes to offering to bribe fellow lawmakers to back the impeachment of the speaker. An official from the PG office said the change was made without withdrawing the case from the criminal court, which has since handed over case documents to […]
The Maldives has urged the UN high commissioner for human rights to “present a more balanced view of the democratic reality of the country” after strong criticism over the reversal of democratic gains. In his opening statement Monday at the UN Human Rights Council’s 36th session, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussain said the Maldivian government was “increasingly […]
Proposed talks between the government and opposition have collapsed with both sides blaming the other for the failure to resolve a protracted political crisis through dialogue. Citing the opposition coalition’s aim of pursuing reforms, the government asked opposition parties and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on August 30 to submit proposed reforms for discussion within a […]
September 11 10:06 2017 The trial of six suspects charged with the murder of liberal blogger Yameen Rasheed began at the criminal court Sunday afternoon. The preliminary hearings were closed to the public and the press at the request of the Prosecutor General’s office. Responding to criticism of the move, the PG spokesman told the […]
The Department of Judicial Administration has suspended 54 lawyers who tried to submit a petition outlining serious concerns with the judiciary to the Supreme Court, barring them from appearing in any court in the Maldives. In an announcement late Sunday night, the DJA, which functions under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court, contended that the […]