The special wing in Maafushi Prison designed to detain violent extremists will be complete by the middle of this year, Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdullah said on Wednesday.
While answering a question submitted by a lawmaker at today’s parliament sitting, the minister said that international organisations and domestic agencies are working together to counter extremism and radicalisation in all forms.
He said that there had been no previous policy of dividing inmates based on the type of crime they had been convicted of before this administration came to power. However, the ministry and its partners have now developed a mechanism to assess inmates and group them separately.
"These individuals [extremists] disrupt the prison system—that’s why we are building a high-security wing in Maafushi Prison. It will be completed around June or July," Minister Imran said.
He said that the wing will be modelled after similar facilities used in Singapore and other developed countries. Imran noted that these prison systems were costly, citing the example of the USD 50 million prison facility in Singapore. The Ministry of Home Affairs was given a budget of MVR 35 million for the new expansion.
"God willing, we will work our best to build a suitable facility with the budget we have been provided."
Last August, Transparency Maldives, in association with the home ministry, published the Prison Radicalisation in the Maldives report. It highlighted the threat of violent extremism and radicalisation in Maldives prisons and identified areas for improvement.
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