Minister of Home Affairs Azleen Ahmed proclaimed that the Maldives government will not pass capital punishment unconstitutionally and that proper mechanisms are being established to keep its implementation on the fast track.
Speaking at the official ceremony held to mark the International Human Rights Day in Islamic Centre in capital Male, Home Minister Azleen stated that the right to live is a basic right given to all humans. However, he noted that the past decade has witnessed the violation of this fundamental right in a string of murders.
Stressing on the murder of former lawmaker and religious scholar, Afrasheem Ali, among others, Azleen declared that the government needs to enforce capital punishment as stated in Islamic law to bring an end to unjust murders despite the opposition of overseas institutions.
The minister also criticised the issue of international authorities meeting with criminals serving major prison sentences, who have been proven guilty of murder. What happens to the rights of the murdered victims, he questioned, while these foreign entities indulge their killers.
Emphasizing on the recently passed Defamation and Freedom of Speech Act, Azleen commented that while freedom of speech and anti-defamation were rights already realised in the law, the chapter on had been “forgotten” till date. Hence combining the two into an Act has protected people’s dignity and prevented their defamation, he said.
During the ceremony, a special report done by the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) was published. In addition, awards were given to students who achieved places from competitions held by the HRCM as well as recognition certificates to institutions and other bodies that supported HRCM in various events and programs.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has upheld the capital punishment verdict for Mohamed Nabeel convicted of murdering Abdulla Farhad, Ahmed Murrath for the murder of Lawyer Ahmed Najeeb, and Hussain Humam for the murder of Dr Afrasheem Ali.
Sign In