Maldivian security forces surrounded an opposition Jumhooree Party building in Male in the early hours of Tuesday, February 6, after President Abdulla Yameen declared a 15-day state of emergency on Monday and as opposition leaders gathered inside.
The state of emergency declaration reduced the power of the judiciary, suspended basic rights, and granted sweeping power to the country’s security forces. It came after the government refused to implement a supreme court ruling made on Thursday that ordered the release and retrial of nine convicted opposition leaders including Yameen’s predecessor, the self-exiled Mohamed Nasheed, arguing on Monday that the order was “incompatible with maintenance of public safety.”
The government refusal to respect the ruling, and the dismissal of two police commissioners between Thursday and Saturday, had sparked opposition protests over the weekend, international condemnation, and accusations that the government was attempting to intimidate law enforcement agencies.
On Sunday, the government said it would resist any attempts by the supreme court to impeach Yameen, arguing such a move would violate the constitution.
In the hours that followed the declaration on Monday, police stormed the supreme court and arrested former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled the country for 30 years until 2008. Before being arrested, Gayoom, who is Yameen’s half-brother, posted a live video in which he said he was “unsure of the allegations” and had “not done anything unlawful.” Gayoom has sided with the main opposition parties and was campaigning for the impeachment of his half-brother.
Hours later, as opposition leaders were preparing for a joint press conference inside a Jumhooree Party building in Male, police officers lined up outside and blocked the door to the building, as this footage shows.
Opposition parties and the US Ambassador to the Maldives Atul Keshap said the government’s refusal to implement the ruling was unconstitutional. Eva Abdulla, a member of parliament for the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, described the state of emergency declaration as “a purge of the political opposition, the Judiciary and the Parliament.”
Both the United States and United Kingdom issued statements condemning the state of emergency and the government’s refusal to respect the supreme court ruling. The US National Security Council said the Maldives government should “respect the rule of law” and warned that the “world is watching.” British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he was “gravely concerned” about the declaration and its “suspension of fundamental rights.” He called on Yameen to end the state of emergency and implement the court’s order immediately. Credit: Jumhooree Party via Storyful
