Trial of ex-Maldives president politicised, unfair

The trial and conviction of former Maldives President Mohammed Nasheed has been vastly unfair, arbitrary and disproportionate, a senior UN human rights official said.

Addressing a press briefing at UN Headquarters in Geneva, Mona Rishmawi, chief of the Rule of Law, Equality and Non-Discrimination Branch at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), confirmed that she had headed a UN delegation to the Maldives from April 20-23 to examine the broader issues related to the criminal case against Nasheed, an official statement issued by the UN News Centre said on Friday.

In March 2015, Nasheed was convicted under the Anti-Terrorism Act of Maldives for arresting Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed and sentenced to 13 years in prison.

According to OHCHR, Nasheed's trial began one day after his arrest, which was made on the charge that he authorised the unlawful detention of Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed in 2012 when he was the country's President.

Having previously faced charges for the same complaint, which were withdrawn by the Prosecutor-General, Nasheed was arrested again under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

In the absence of an adequate criminal code, evidence law, and criminal procedures, the Maldives Prosecutor-General and the judges had excessive discretionary powers that they applied against the former president, Rishmawi said, adding that Nasheed had only learnt about the charges against him under the Anti-Terrorism Act upon arrest.

In addition, she said, the entire Maldives judicial system was perceived as politicised, inadequate and subject to external influence.