Ex-Maldives President Nasheed sent back to prison

Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed has been sent back to prison following completion of two months of house arrest.

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The late night police action in Male comes amidst claims by Nasheed's party that the government had commuted his prison term of 13 years. The police authorities denied this claim last night.

A large crowd of Nasheed's supporters from the Maldivian Democratic Party tried to stop the police from taking him to the Maafushi prison.

Police had to use force to control the crowd as Nasheed was led away by correctional service officers.

Nasheed's lawyers released an official document to the press, which says that Nasheed shall complete his sentence of imprisonment from July 19th in house arrest and lays down the rules he would follow during the term of his house arrest.

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Police however insists that the house arrest has not been extended beyond eight weeks and said they were acting on the orders of their superiors.

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Nasheed was arrested in March this year and sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment in a case related to illegal arrest of a criminal judge when he was in power.

Nasheed's hurried trial and imprisonment was seen as as political vendetta by his party and several international human right bodies.