Yameen Government in Maldives Declares State of Emergency for 15 Days
Indian nationals are advised to defer all non-essential travel to Male and other atolls untill further notice. Detailed travel advisory at https://t.co/DCdCkojESK
— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) February 5, 2018
India expressed its concerns over the recent political crisis in the Maldives and asked its nationals to defer all non-essential travels to the Indian Ocean nation until further notice.
In an advisory, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Indian expatriates in the Maldives are also alerted to the need for heightened security awareness and urged to exercise due caution in public and avoid public gatherings.
“The prevailing political developments in the Maldives and the resultant law and order situation is a matter of concern for the government. Indian nationals are, therefore, advised to defer all non-essential travels to Male and other atolls until further notice,” the advisory said.
The advisory by India came immediately after beleaguered Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen declared a 15-day state of emergency as political strains on the island nation continue to intensify.
Legal Affairs Minister Azima Shakoor made the announcement on Monday evening on state television, and a statement assigned to President Abdulla Yameen was posted on the ministry of foreign affairs website.
“The government of Maldives wishes to also assure all Maldivians and the international community that the safety of all Maldivians and foreigners living in and visiting the Maldives will be ensured,” the statement said.
Maldives president declares emergency after top court asks government to release political prisoners | Image: Scroll
The Maldives plunged into political turbulence last week after the country’s top court threw out a “terrorism” conviction against its former president Mohamed Nasheed, and ordered the release of other jailed opposition politicians.
Yameen had earlier resisted a Supreme Court ruling to release nine jailed opposition leaders.
The ruling dealt a blow to Yameen with critics accusing him of corruption, misrule, and rights abuses. He denies the allegations.
Earlier Shakoor said: “The government does not believe that the Supreme Court ruling to release the political prisoners can be enforced.”
Soldiers in riot gear surrounded the parliament building in the capital Male | Image: BBC
Soldiers in riot gear surrounded the parliament building in the capital Male on Sunday soon after the opposition petitioned parliament to dismiss the South Asian island’s attorney-general and its chief prosecutor.
The opposition now has a majority in the 85-member house as the Supreme Court ruling also reinstated 12 members of parliament who were stripped of their seats last year.
But two of the 12 were arrested at the airport on Sunday, shortly after they returned to the Maldives after spending months in exile.
Opposition members of parliament have urged foreign intervention after the government ignored the Supreme Court ruling.
In a resolution signed in the capital Male on Sunday, opposition MPs called on the international community “to impress upon the government of Maldives the need to respect the rule of law, and implement last Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling that ordered the release of political leaders and the reinstatement of 12 opposition MPs”.
They also called for “all necessary measures … to hold government officials accountable for violations of national and international law”.
President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom Declares State of Emergency https://t.co/SRjTW7s4dj
— MFA Maldives (@MDVForeign) February 5, 2018
Tensions “could escalate to civil unrest and incite violence across the country”, they warned.
The United Nations, European Union, and several foreign governments – including India, the US and UK – have urged Yameen to comply with the Supreme Court’s order.
The government has accused the court of trying to oust the president, a claim judges have not responded to.
After the emergency announcement, rights group Amnesty International denounced the government’s “appalling track-record of suppressing freedom of expression and any form of opposition”.
“This [emergency] cannot become a licence for further repression,” Omar Waraich, the group’s deputy South Asia director, said on Twitter.
.@amnesty warns that the Maldives' state of emergency must not become a 'licence for further repression' pic.twitter.com/a1soMUQ33I
— Omar Waraich (@OmarWaraich) February 5, 2018
