The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence imposed on Hassan Fareed for the murder of Abdulla Shuhad during a violent confrontation in Fuvahmulah City.

The Criminal Court sentenced Fareed to death in January 2010 for stabbing and killing Shuhad during a fight between two neighborhood groups in Fuvahmulah.

High Court later upheld the sentence, prompting Fareed to appeal to the Supreme Court.

During the appeal, the Supreme Court sought the statement of Shuhad's parents. They requested that the death penalty imposed on Fareed by the lower courts be upheld.

Fareed, who represented himself without a lawyer before the Supreme Court, raised allegations of police torture and procedural irregularities in the investigation. However, he raised these issues only after several hearings had taken place and the proceedings were nearing completion.

The five-judge bench, presided over by Chief Justice Abdul Ghani Mohamed, ruled that the evidence established that Shuhad died from injuries sustained in the stabbing and that witnesses had identified Fareed as the attacker.

The judgment found that Fareed had gone to attack Shuhad with a weapon, establishing that the assault was premeditated and carried out with the intention of killing him.

“The prosecution witnesses' testimonies show that Fareed stabbed Shuhad in the abdomen. The medicolegal report shows that Shuhad died from injuries sustained from stab wounds to his chest and abdomen. The medicolegal report links Shuhad's death to Fareed's assault,” the judgment stated.

The court further said the offence met the standard under Islamic law for intentional homicide without lawful justification.

The judges unanimously ruled to uphold the death sentence imposed on Fareed.

The bench that delivered the verdict was the third to hear the case. It comprised Chief Justice Abdul Ghani Mohamed, Justice Aisha Shujune Mohamed, Justice Ali Rasheed Hussain, Justice Hussain Shaheed and Justice Mohamed Saleem.

The Supreme Court had initially concluded hearings in the case on November 15, 2021. At the time, the case was heard by a bench comprising then Chief Justice Ahmed Muththasim Adnan and judges Azmiralda Zahir, Husnu Suood, Mahaz Ali Zahir and Aisha Shujune Mohamed.

However, the bench was subsequently reconstituted following the resignation of several judges.