Year on, justice still pending for Yameen Rasheed's murder

A rally was held in capital Male on Sunday to mark one year since the murder of renowned blogger Yameen Rasheed, and to demand justice.

Organised by Yameen Rasheed's family and friends, the rally began from Rasfannu beach on the western coast, down the main road of Majeedhee Magu and ended at Artificial Beach in the east. Donning white tee shirts depicting Yameen Rasheed's face, participants protested against the court's decision to hold the murder trials behind closed doors, demanding transparency.

The police had attempted to break up the rally at one point, intervening at the intersection of Majeedhee Magu and Maaveyo Magu. It had resulted in some clashes between the participants and police officers, and consequently the president of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s Youth Wing, Mikail Naseem, and his mother Mariyam Zubair, were taken into custody. However the police had soon released them.

Despite the police's attempts to break up the march, the participants had pressed on to Artificial Beach, where they held a protest. Speaking at the gathering, Yameen Rasheed's father Hussain Rasheed declared that the only way to ensure justice for his son was to open the trials.

He also called on everyone to support their attempts to find justice for Yameen.

Some friends of Yameen at the protest had raised questions over police negligence, pointing out that Yameen had sought protection over death threats he had been receiving prior to his murder. They also questioned who had orchestrated or funded Yameen's brutal killing.

Yameen Rasheed, 29, of Addu Atoll Feydhoo Island, had been found with multiple stab wounds to his face, neck and chest by the staircase of his apartment building in the early hours of April 23 last year. He passed away from his injuries shortly after he was rushed to the hospital.

Following the police investigation, the Prosecutor General’s Office charged seven suspects over the murder. Six suspects are already on trial, indicted for homicide with sharp force, while authorities are yet to disclose information on the seventh. Police have also confirmed that the perpetrators behind the crime harboured extremist ideologies and they had deemed Yameen to be sacrilegious, which is believed to be the motive of the murder.