Mass protest in Maldives over Nasheed’s arrest

Male, February 27

Thousands of supporters of Mohamed Nasheed today converged on the Maldivian capital here to participate in a mass rally to protest against the detention of the former president on terror charges, raising fears of violence as police warned legal action against demonstrators.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party-Jumhooree Party (MDP-JP) alliance, which is organising the rally, said 20,000 people are participating in the demonstration.

Nasheed, 47, the country’s first democratically elected leader, was arrested on Sunday on terror charges of ordering the arrest of a senior judge in 2012 that triggered violence in the Indian Ocean island.

A day after he was arrested on February 22, Nasheed was virtually dragged by the security forces to be presented before the Criminal Court, which ruled that the opposition leader will remain in custody until the case against him was complete. — PTI