MDV 001 / 0118 / OBS 002
Death
threats / Harassment
Maldives
January 5,
2018
The Observatory for the Protection
of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the World Organisation Against
Torture (OMCT) and FIDH, requests your urgent intervention in the following
situation in Maldives.
Description of the situation:
The
Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about death threats and
harassment against Ms. Shahindha Ismail,
Executive Director of the Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN).

According to the information received, Ms. Shahindha Ismail has
received several death threats that were posted on anonymous accounts on
Twitter and Facebook, following the publication of news articles on the Vaguthu Online newspaper on December 28,
2017 over an alleged anti-Islamic tweet posted by Ms. Ismail on December 21,
2017. Ms. Ismail tweeted in response to President Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s
statement that he would not allow for any religion but Islam. Ms. Ismail’s
tweet read: “Religions other than Islam exist in this
world because Allah allowed for it. No other religion would exist
otherwise, is it not?”. The articles published accused her of
blasphemy and branded her an apostate, two crimes that carry serious legal
penalties in Maldives, including the death penalty in some cases. Death
threats were also made through comments posted in response to the Vaguthu Online articles.
Moreover, on December 28,
2017, the Maldives police announced that they had
launched an investigation against Ms. Shahindha Ismail under the
Religious Unity Act, which carries a five-year jail term, in relation to the
above-mentioned Twitter post. Shortly before the launching of the
investigation, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs had issued
a statement calling for anti-Islamic speech to be put to an end. On the other
hand, no investigation was carried out into the threats and acts of
intimidation against Ms. Ismail.
The Observatory fears that Ms. Shahindha Ismail is being
targeted because of her criticism of President Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s human
rights record. In particular, Ms. Ismail is a strong advocate against religious fundamentalism in
Maldives and has been a vocal critic of law
enforcement agencies’ inaction and impunity regarding the ongoing disappearance
of journalist Ahmed Rilwan and the
murder of Mr. Yameen Rasheed, a human rights activist and blogger
in Maldives[1].
The Observatory strongly condemns the
above-mentioned death threats and harassment against Ms. Shahindha Ismail and
urges the authorities of Maldives to guarantee in all circumstances her physical and psychological
integrity.
Actions requested:
Please
write to the authorities of Maldives, urging them to:
i.
Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Ms.
Shahindha Ismail and all human rights defenders in Maldives;
ii. Carry out an immediate, thorough,
impartial, and transparent investigation into the above-mentioned threats
against Ms. Shahindha Ismail in order to
identify all those responsible, bring them before an independent tribunal, and
sanction them as provided by the law;
iii.
Put an end to all acts of harassment - including at the judicial level -
against Ms. Shahindha Ismail as well as against all human
rights defenders in the country so that they are able to carry out their
work without hindrance;
iv. Comply with the provisions of
the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, in particular with
its Articles 1 and
12.2;
v. Ensure in all circumstances
respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the
Universal Declaration on Human Rights and other international human rights
instruments signed or ratified by Maldives.
Addresses:
·
Mr. Azleen Ahmed, Minister of Home
Affairs of the Republic of Maldives, Twitter: @homeministrymv Email: info@homeaffairs.gov.mv
·
Mr. Abdulla Yameen Gayoom, President
of the Republic of Maldives, Fax: (960) 332 5500 Twitter: @presidencymv
·
Ms. Aminath Eenas,
President of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, Fax:
+960 3338658, +960 3304725, Email: aminath.eenas@hrcm.org.mv / info@hrcm.org.mv
·
Ms. Hala Hameed, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Maldives
to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +41 22
732 63 39, Email: info@MaldivesMission.ch
·
Ambassador,
Embassy of the Republic of Maldives to Belgium, Fax: +32 (0)2 256 7569, Email: info@maldivesembassy.be / info@maldivesmission.eu
Please
also write to the diplomatic representations of Maldives in your respective
countries.
***
Geneva-Paris, January 5, 2018
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken
quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the
Observatory) was created in 1997 by the World Organisation Against Torture
(OMCT) and FIDH. The objective of this programme is to prevent or remedy
situations of repression against human rights defenders. OMCT and FIDH are both
members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by
international civil society.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
·
E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
· Tel and fax OMCT +41 22 809 49 39 / +41 22 809 49 29
· Tel and fax FIDH + 33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80
[1] For more information, see
Observatory Urgent Appeal MDV
001 / 0417 / OBS 046, published on April 25, 2017, and Joint Open Letter to the Government of Maldives, May 12, 2017.
| Tweet |
English