Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) said that their Rapid Response Team (RRT) had been activated immediately upon receiving reports of the death of Mohamed Jameel in custody, and that they are continuing investigations into the incident.
Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) said that their Rapid Response Team (RRT) had been activated immediately upon receiving reports of the death of Mohamed Jameel in custody, and that they are continuing investigations into the incident.
In a post on social media, HRCM said that in the instance that a person who is denied freedom and held in detention under State care dies, their RRT will immediately work to view the body and investigate the details of the incident.
The RRT had similarly responded in the case of Jameel's demise, having viewed Jameel's body, gathered statements from officers of Maldives Correctional Services and family, and checked their medical file.
They also conducted a visit to Maafushi Prison and viewed the CCTV footage. The cell in which Jameel had been kept and died in was also checked. Inmates who previously shared a cell with Jameel were also questioned.
"The commission is conducting investigations even beyond these actions," the statement read.
There is skepticism on social media around the conditions of death in the case of Jameel, with some alleging that he had been subject to violence and brutality, and that officials had been negligent in providing him with medical attention. The markings on Jameel's body as seen on photos circulating on social media are speculated to be bruising inflicted through violence.
Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusan later proposed to do a post mortem with the permission of the family, with police arriving at the funeral to collect Jameel's body. The family refused to release the body, and Jameel was buried without conducting a post mortem according to the family's decision.
Police have since stated that the markings on Jameel's body are livor mortis.