By Daniel Bosley
MALE, Maldives
As a political crisis deepens on the island nation, the Maldivian opposition have claimed detained protesters were subjected to police brutality during anti-government protests last Friday.
Former MP Ahmed Easa - remanded for 15 days alongside 171 others after violence followed the initially-peaceful march - was beaten by police during his arrest, alleged the Maldivian Democratic Party.
The party has today called on the Human Rights Commission to look into the treatment of detainees, while police have rejected claims that MP Easa was tortured.
“We deny any accusations that he was harmed. He was taken in front of reporters,” said a police media official. “The accusations are totally wrong.”
After accusing opposition parties of attempting to overthrow the government, the police have promised a “zero-tolerance” approach to protests in the capital Male, while the ruling party appeared to mark, what it termed, the failed march with a fireworks display on Saturday evening.
The parliamentary group leader for the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives has meanwhile called for all civil servants among the 20,000 who marched through the capital to be dismissed.
“This parliamentary group calls on the government to terminate such employees from government offices and make room for those that do not promote anarchy,” Ahmed Nihan told journalists.
MDP spokesman Imthiyaz Fahmy has today called Nihan’s comments “outright threats against and intimidation of civil servants.”
“It is shameless that the government, instead of listening to the people, made such a song and dance when so many took to the streets and showed a no-confidence vote against the government.”
Two Special Operations police officers were seriously injured after attacks by protesters on Friday, though police say they are now recovering after receiving treatment in Sri Lanka.
Police also confirmed that the detention period for the opposition MDP Chairperson Ali Waheed, Jumhooree Party Deputy Ameen Ibrahim, and Adhaalath Party President Sheikh Imran Abdulla has been extended.
The nature of the charges are yet to be revealed, though a diplomatic circular released by the government in the hours prior to the arrests accused Imran of recruiting extremists to incite violence in the capital.
International concern over the state of the Maldives’ young democracy has continued, with both the Canadian Foreign Ministry and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry issuing statements since Friday’s clashes.
“In light of clashes at recent protests in Maldives, Canada condemns the crackdown by the increasingly authoritarian government and its evident lack of respect for democracy,” said Canadian Foreign Minister Rob Nicholson in a statement on Monday.
Meanwhile John Kerry told media in Sri Lanka of his concern about “troubling signs that democracy is under threat in the Maldives.”
Both Kerry and Nicholson added their voices to concern – expressed most recently by U.N. officials – that the three-week terror trial of former President Mohamed Nasheed, who was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment, was conducted without due process.
“This is an injustice that needs to be addressed soon,” said Kerry.
After rejecting repeated criticism of the speedy trial, the President’s Office rejected the comments as Kerry’s personal opinion, saying no official messages had been received from the U.S. government.
