Opposition press Maldives to honour deal on dissidents

The main opposition in the Maldives today demanded the immediate release of their leader and former president Mohamed Nasheed, a day after the government announced the unusual step of appealing his controversial conviction.
The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said the government of President Abdulla Yameen must honour commitments made during their closed-door talks earlier this month aimed at ending political unrest in the honeymoon islands.
"Government officials, negotiating on behalf of President Yameen, made a number of promises during the talks," the MDP said in a statement.
"These include the release of high profile political prisoners, including (former) president Nasheed, and the quashing of criminal charges against some 1,700 people who have been targeted for their political activities."

The statement came a day after Nasheed's international lawyer Jared Genser announced in Colombo that his client's 13-year jail sentence on a terrorism charge had been commuted to house arrest.
The United Nations had described Nasheed's jailing in March after a quick-fire trial as "vastly unfair" while Washington had warned the conviction meant the upmarket tourist destination's fledgling democracy was in danger.

But in a surprise announcement, the government on Friday sought to distance itself from the conviction before later confirming Nasheed was no longer behind bars and could remain under house arrest.
Nasheed had been incarcerated in a prison on a remote island after his sentencing but in June was moved to the main island of Male for medical treatment.

However, the MDP said the decision to commute Nasheed's sentence to house arrest was not enough.