COLOMBO: Amnesty International warned the Maldives’ new regime Wednesday against seeking revenge against the party of former president Mohamed Nasheed, who quit in the face of public protests and a police mutiny.
“The new authorities in the Maldives must avoid persecuting members of outgoing President Mohamed Nasheed’s political party,” the human rights watchdog said in a statement.
Nasheed, the island-nation’s first democratically-elected president, resigned Tuesday after what his party described as a “coup d’etat” orchestrated by the opposition with the backing of rebel elements in the security forces.
Amnesty said at least three senior members of Nasheed’s Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) were reportedly detained after being beaten by police and opposition supporters on Monday night.
“The events of the last days follow weeks of political paralysis and a breakdown of accountability and the rule of law,” Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director said in a statement.
“The new government must ensure that it will protect the rights of all Maldivians equally, without regard to their political affiliation,” Zarifi said calling for an independent probe into the detentions and beatings.
Nasheed’s former ally and Vice-president Mohamed Waheed was sworn in as the new head of state on Tuesday afternoon.
Waheed on Tuesday promised to form a unity government comprising opposition parties, uphold the “rule of law” and prevent any illegal treatment of “past political leaders”.
Police spokesman Ahmed Shiyam told AFP that “anyone from the previous regime who worked against the constitution and laws” would not be allowed to leave the country.
Following his resignation, Nasheed was escorted by armed guards to a family residence where he spent the evening, according to his brother.
But Amnesty said there were some doubts about the former president’s current whereabouts which needed to be “clarified immediately”.
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