PNC Vice President arrested during opposition rally

Vice president of opposition-aligned People's National Congress (PNC) and parliamentary representative for Haa Alif Atoll's Baarah constituency, Ibrahim Shujau, was arrested on Tuesday amid an opposition rally to mark Victory Day.

The rally was held in front of opposition partner Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Office, after the Health Protection Agency (HPA) blocked the coalition's initial attempt to hold the event at the Alimas Carnival area in the capital city of Male'.

Citing public health concerns regarding COVID-19, HPA only granted approval for a virtual rally. At present, gatherings of over 30 people are prohibited as a protective measure to control the spread of COVID-19 in the capital.

As there were no social distancing measures in place during the opposition pretest, the police repeatedly communicated with Shujau, urging that the rally be conducted as per HPA's safety guidelines.

Maldives Police Service have yet to issue any official comments concerning the arrest of the PNC Vice President.

According to Shujau, the police are seeking to press six charges against him including obstruction of justice and violation of HPA's safety guidelines.

Asserting that he opposed the charges, the PNC Vice President expressed the opinion that attempts to press criminal charges over an opposition political event held to ensure government accountability did not align with democratic principles. He added that these actions intended to reduce the opposition coalition's influence ahead of the upcoming local council elections.

Shujau previously claimed that HPA regularly permitted government activities unfairly, such as granting approval for the Managing Directors of certain state-owned companies to travel to other inhabited islands and interact with residents.

HPA continues to maintain stringent controls over public gatherings, particularly concerning opposition protests and demonstrations against controversial sexual assault cases. Meanwhile the remaining rules implemented to control the spread of COVID-19 are being gradually relaxed to reflect improvements in the situation.

Maldives marks Victory Day every November 3, to commemorate the state's defeat of Abdulla Luthfee and Sagar Ahmed Nasir's attempt in 1988 to overthrow the government by taking over the National Security Service (NSS) with the help of armed militants from Sri Lanka's People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE). The attack resulted in the death of 11 Maldivian civilians and eight military personnel.