| |
Home page |
Sandhaanu writer defies Maldives court Malé 30 June 2002 In a court appearance on 25 June 2002 related to the publication of the Maldivian internet magazine Sandhaanu, Ibrahim Luthfee loudly denied the charges, and insisted that he was prepared to prove every allegation he had made in Sandhaanu regarding Maldives President Gayyoom. Luthfee and others allegedly involved in the magazine were brought to Malé from prison and charged with inciting the public to subvert the established order and publishing material designed to assassinate the character of the President. They had been held without charges for months, and have been denied legal help or representation. NSS sources say an officer Ibrahim Didi personally gave information to President Gayyoom about Sandhaanu authors after the officer returned from a holiday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His brother Ahmed had been working closely with Ibrahim Luthfee who is also related by blood to Ibrahim Didi. Ibrahim Luthfee had been marked by the NSS even during the last general election. Zaki was alleged to have been the financier of the magazine and his son was also allegedly involved. Ibrahim Luthfee's secretary Nasreena is in detention, with Zaki, his son, and a close advisor to Luthfee by the name of Ahammaabe. Maldivian overseas students were also interviewed by the NSS over the Sandhaanu publication. Before this court appearance, sources claim Luthfee and the others were asked to confess and sign a declaration that they had attempted to smear the President. Certain rewards were also offered, they said. In a recently televised ceremony, President Gayyoom awarded officer Ibrahim Didi a medal for sincerity, but he was not promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel as had earlier been planned, according to the sources. In court, Luthfee challenged the impartiality of the judge and dared the court to summon a group of witnesses to support his case. People watching the proceedings said that Luthfee was in high spirits, unlike Zaki who looked crestfallen and weak. Luthfee and the other prisoners were later taken away by boat to an undisclosed location, possibly Dhoonidhoo prison island just north of Malé. Meanwhile other senior businessmen questioned over the affair claim their passports have been confiscated and their movements are now restricted. Mohamed Nasheed under house arrest Mohamed Nasheed returned to Malé in June after several months exile in Raa atoll. The Department of Corrections has told him the remainder of his sentence will be served under house arrest in Malé. Observers see this action as unsurprising, the Maldivian government has applied this type of 'hot and cold' treatment before in order to contain dissenters. They predict that Nasheed will be offered an attractive position within the regime in order to neutralise him as a reformer. Also under political house arrest in Malé is Naushad Waheed, who was incorrectly reported as released, by Amnesty International . Sources claim that he has never been charged with any offenses. |
Maldives Culture is an independent internet magazine of Maldivian cultural issues.
Editors and translators: Michael O'Shea and Fareesha Abdulla, Australia
We invite contributions from Maldivians and others interested in Maldives.
Contributions and comments - mc_editors@hotmail.com
