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No charges sought over May Day protester's death: Maldives rights watchdog

Shaina Abdulla
17 May 2018, MVT 19:17
May Day Protestor Abdulla Rasheed Mohamed with Maldives Correctional Service officers
Shaina Abdulla
17 May 2018, MVT 19:17

Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM), on Thursday, stated that the commission’s probe into the death of the May Day protester, who passed away while serving his sentence, is still ongoing and that no charges have been sought over the case.

Amidst media reports claiming that HRCM was seeking charges after the investigation, the rights watchdog has denied seeking any formal charges over the case.

Abdullah Rasheed Mohamed, 51, from capital Male was convicted of assaulting a law enforcement officer during a major opposition rally on May 1, 2015, and was serving a five-year sentence. He passed away on October 10, 2017 after he was brought to Male to be treated for internal medical complications at the state-run Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH).

His family had accused Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) of negligence, for not providing prompt and sufficient medical attention. In early October, the HRCM, National Integrity Commission (NIC), and Maldives Police Service had begun investigating Mohamed's sudden death.

His spouse, Shehenaz Abdullah, stated that none of the relevant authorities have so far provided any answers for her husband’s death. She added that she did not believe that justice would be served in this government.

Mohamed’s family, as well as his cellmates, had claimed that he was denied proper medical treatment in prison, despite him requesting to see a doctor several times.

MCS had refuted these claims as untrue and baseless.

Meanwhile, the opposition has also called out on the delay in HRCM’s intervention, and noted that the commission was supposed to investigate and draw up its own report if anyone under the state’s care passed away, despite the circumstances of the death.

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