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Maldives Endemic Human Rights Abuse in Paradise Geneva 15 March - 23 April 2004 Edited slightly by Maldives Culture Photos added
Maldives conjures an image of Paradise on Earth amidst the sun, white sandy beaches and one of the most spectacular underwater environments on earth. For a quarter of a century, the ruler of Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom, has successfully managed to hide from the world the other, darker side of his brutal and autocratic rule.
This brutal atrocity triggered an unprecedented, spontaneous demonstration in Male', the capital. During this demonstration, symbols of repression (such as police posts, High Court, the Office of the Commissioner of Elections) were damaged. The international media highlighted these events and the world slowly began to wake up to the atrocities and endemic human rights abuses perpetrated by President Gayyoom in his twenty-five years of corrupt and brutally repressive rule.
Despite the booming tourism industry, Maldives depends largely on the bilateral and multilateral donors for development aid. President Gayyoom was forced to initiate some token cosmetic change to appease the international donor community. One such initiative is the creation of the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) purportedly based on the Paris Principles. This institution reports direct to him and is, in reality, a powerless and dependent organ designed to legitimize his gross and persistent human rights abuses.
President Gayyoom’s message was loud and clear: torture, repression and police brutality is here to stay. Gayyoom’s ongoing violation of even constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human rights to fair trial, freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, stands as strong testimony to his weak commitment to institutionalized, structural reform. Gayyoom’s ongoing violation of fundamental rights Freedom from torture, cruel and inhuman punishment is a fundamental right that Gayyoom has routinely violated in his twenty-five years of repressive rule. Gayyoom is fully aware that his NSS mete out cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment to detainees and prisoners on a regular and daily basis. Gayyoom is convinced that to run an effective police state, he needs to use such draconian methods to terrorize the citizens into submission. The right to a fair trial is another fundamental right Gayyoom regularly flaunts. He directly manipulates the judicial process and routinely abuses his position as the highest judicial authority to enforce judgments pre-packaged by him. Consider this: National Security Service personnel are responsible for the death of unarmed prisoners in Maafushi jail. Gayyoom is the Commander in Chief of the NSS. A commission of inquiry was appointed to investigate the killings. The commission reports direct to him. The Office of the Attorney General is in charge of the prosecution. The Attorney General works under his direct orders. Judges are beholden to Gayyoom and pass sentence as prescribed by him. Maldives, under Gayyoom, does not have an independent judiciary.
Article 27 enshrines freedom of association as a fundamental right and yet Gayyoom unashamedly refuses to register any political parties for fear that his hegemony would be challenged. Article 26 gives Maldivians freedom of assembly. Yet when the Maldivian Democratic Party tried to arrange a peaceful walk to handover a letter to him, Gayyoom got his NSS to handcuff ‘suspects’ and arrest them. Even some of the children of suspects were detained. Article 21 guarantees freedom of movement. Yet the NSS at the airport have detained many Maldivians – even after they had passed through immigration. Article 25 guarantees freedom of expression. However, the only ‘expression’ Gayyoom guarantees is the freedom to sing his praise and to lie on his behalf. Gayyoom has monopolistic control over the electronic media while cabinet cronies and in-laws exercise control over the print media at his behest. Even the Internet is not spared. Maldives has the dubious distinction of being among only five countries highlighted by Reporters Sans Frontieres for suppression of Internet freedom of expression. Letters, messages and other means of communication, according to Article 20, are inviolable. However, under Gayyoom’s orders, the government controlled communication company Dhiraagu (a joint venture with Cable and Wireless) and other relevant authorities regularly and routinely violate Article 20. Citizen’s phones are tapped, letters and other correspondence are intercepted, SMS service is withheld at will (as highlighted by Reporters San Frontieres) and Internet communication is violated. Even the mildest expression of protest against Gayyoom or his regime is violently and brutally suppressed. Gayyoom’s propaganda notwithstanding, about half the population of Maldives is deprived of their social and economic rights. Despite the enormous wealth pouring into the country by way of tourism receipts and donor assistance, 42% of the population of under 300,000 live below the poverty line – a living monument to Gayyoom’s quarter century of inept, corrupt, and repressive rule. Article 15 enshrines the right to be treated according to the law and the right to appeal against oppressive treatment. Whom do you appeal to when the oppressor invariably is the omnipotent Dictator himself or agents working under his instructions? Gayyoom, more than any other Maldivian, is guilty of crimes against humanity. Article 30 states 'it shall be the duty of every Maldivian citizen to protect and uphold the Constitution and the laws of the Maldives and to honour the freedom and rights of others'. Yet Gayyoom blatantly and systematically disregards the Constitution and the rule of law. He is, and acts like, a feudal lord and dictactor whose word – and not the constitution – is the supreme law of the country. From a geopolitical point of view, Maldives is an insignificant and small nation. It has been easy to ignore the endemic human rights abuses and the crimes against humanity committed by President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom and his criminal associates such as police commissioner Adam Zahir. We appeal to concerned human rights activists to spare a thought for those Maldivians who live in hell as prisoners of conscience while their country is touted as Paradise on Earth. |
Maldives Culture is an independent internet magazine of Maldive 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
