Amin Faisal, Shadow Defence Minister and the elected President of Male' Dhaairaa of the Maldivian Democratic Party has been detained in the notorious Dhoonidhoo Island in solitary confinment. He was taken into custody while attending the funeral of Hussein Salah who was allegedly murdered by the Maldivian police. Mr.Mohamed Nasheed (Anni), the Chairperson of the MDP was detained at the same time. Mr.Nasheed who has since been released claimed that he was severely beaten up by the police and iscurrently receiving treatment in Sri Lanka.
Ill-treatment and torture of detainees by the Maldivian police are commonly reported in the international media and by the Amnesty International. Dhoonidhoo Prison is especially notorious, and Maldivians refer to it as the Dhoonidhoo Hilton.
Amin Faisal is being held without access to legal representation whichis in contravention of all international humanitarian conventions andthe Maldives is signitory to several of them. His lawyer, Ms.Mariya Didi (whose part in the Maldivian democratization movement was recently recognized by the US State Department), was informed April 20, 2007 at 0930 hours that she would be able to visit him. The police arranged for her to visit Dhoonidhoo, but when she arrived there the island police claimed that they knew nothing of the visit. Therefore she was forced to return without having seen Mr.Faisal.
Mr. Faisal is widely known (in the Maldives) to be diabetic and is also on medication for high blood pressure. His family is extremely concerned for his ill-health. His sister told Minivan News: "I am very concerned for his safety. If Anni was beaten up then there is no reason to believe that the police will treat Ameen any better! I am also very concerned for his health as he is a diabetic (Type II). The fact that he is being denied access to his lawyer is a blatant violation of all international human rights treaties," she added.His wife has also not been allowed to visit him.
Amin Faisal has been targeted by the police on several occasions. He was arrested and detained for several weeks in November 2006 following the Addu Boat Crisis reported extensively here on Subcontinent South.
Will Jordan, 21 In Jail Since Salah’s Death, Including Ameen Faisal, April 19, 2007.
3 comments:
The Government of Maldives has carried out a blatantly outrageous arrest of Ameen Faizal. His arrest is completely ultra vires the law and he should be released immediately. Since other prisoners are tortured, it is expected that Ameen Faizal will also be subject to such torture by the police. Everyone knows that by the Poices action, anything might happens to Ameen Faizal, given his health condition, and they are not going to take any responsibility for it. The Government has violated the law by his arrest(if there is any!!) and by refusing Ameen Faizal the basic right to see a lawyer, and to even contact his family. The people therefore demand from the government his immediate release,his arrest having been made without any just legal cause.
Mr.Ameen Faisal the grand son of the first president of the Maldives, Hon. Mr. Mohamed Ameen Didi, Mr. Ameen Faisal has been a target of President Gayoom from the time he took oath. Mr. Ameen was working for the National Security Service when he was alleged to have supported the 1988 coup by Sri Lankan terrorist group POLT. He was jailed and sentenced at that time.
Gayoom always feared families who had power in the ruling circle and kept those families away from his regime. Now since Mr.Ameen Faisal is with the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, he is under close surveillance. Now that he is under arrest, Gayoom would do anything to keep him behind bars.
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