The trial for those who are charged with the murder of blogger Yameen Rasheed has been scheduled to begin today at the Criminal Court.
The crime was proven against Ismail Haisham Rasheed (H. Annaarumaage) and Ahmed Zihan Ismail (Hulhumalé 11399) in January 2022 in Criminal Court, with them being sentenced to life in prison.
Mohamed Dhifran (GDh. Gadhdhoo, Sindhubaadhooge), Hassan Shifaz (M. Kudheheege), Ismail Rasheed (M. Thaif), and Hussain Ziyad (M. Kolhufushi East) were acquitted of the crime.
Three judge benches unanimously made the sentence to void Haisham and Zihan's prison sentences after the High Court reviewed the case, with the case being sent to Criminal Court to be reviewed again. The High Court also ordered the cases of Ismail Rasheed and Mohamed Dhifran to be reviewed once more.
Ismail Rasheed and Mohamed Dhifran's acquittals were appealed at High Court by the prosecution, with the prosecution submitting the case to High Court.
The retrial for the four suspects who are to attend the High Court is scheduled to begin today. The trial will begin at 4:30pm and will be broadcasted live. The judges bench for the trial will have three judges for the case.
The four who are charged are currently being held in remand under the Criminal Court's directive.
The murder charge for two suspects involved in the murder of Yameen Rasheed being voided by the High Court attracted a lot of criticism. And so, the Criminal Court's sentence in 2022 where the crime was not proven against four suspects also garnered a lot of criticism. Yameen's family has expressed concern about the delay of justice concerning his murder.
