Nasheed arrives in UK for surgery

Ailing former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed today arrived here for treatment after he was granted 30-day prison leave by the government to undergo an urgent spinal cord surgery.
Nasheed, 48, who has been jailed for 13 years under anti-terror laws, landed at Heathrow Airport after a brief stop over in Sri Lanka, following his release by the Maldivian government for medical treatment in the UK.
Reports said that Nasheed is due to meet his lawyer Amal Clooney, wife of Hollywood star George Clooney.
Following an international intervention, Nasheed left the Maldives on Monday for Sri Lanka after resolving a last-minute legal dispute with the government over his 30-day release for the surgery in the UK.

Nasheed was supposed to leave on Sunday after a deal brokered by diplomats from India and Sri Lanka as well as Britain, but his departure was delayed as the government imposed new conditions on his trip.
The Maldivian government was insisting that he nominate a family member to stay in Male to guarantee his return.

Nasheed initially refused this proposal, but finally agreed to the offer.
According to Maldivian government, Nasheed had signed an undertaking to return after his treatment and his brother has agreed to act as guarantor.
Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected leader, was sentenced to 13 years in jail in March over the arbitrary arrest of chief criminal judge Abdullah Muhammed during his presidency.

He was elected in 2008, ending three decades of rule by former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
Nasheed resigned as the Maldives leader in February 2012 after weeks of protests over the judges arrest on corruption allegations.
The former president had appealed his prison sentence after backtracking on his earlier decision and opted to go to the Supreme Court instead.
In his appeal, Nasheed had sought a lesser penalty under the new penal code that came into effect in November. The Supreme Court had also been asked to nullify the charges lodged against him in the lower court and the subsequent sentence.

India, the US and the European Union had all expressed concern over Nasheed's imprisonment and conviction. His conviction drew widespread criticism over the apparent lack of due process in the 19-day trial.
The current President Abdulla Yameen was elected in controversial polls in 2013 and is the half-brother of Gayoom.