Transitional Justice rules Shumba was wrongfully arrested in 2015

The Office of Transitional Justice has ruled that social media activist Ahmed Ashraf (Shumba) was wrongfully arrested back in 2015, and has ordered the State to issue an official apology.

In 2015, Shumba was arrested in Sri Lanka following the arrest of former Vice President Ahmed Adeeb in relation to the explosion on then President Abdulla Yameen's speedboat.

Shumba, a close associate of Adeeb, had a warrant out for him then in relation to the case. Based on information provided by the Maldivian Embassy in Sri Lanka, the country's police arrested him and handed him over to Maldives' police. Allegations that the arrest and handover contravened international conventions and Sri Lankan Constitution arose even at the time.

The related case submitted to the Office of Transitional Justice in 2021 sought orders to conduct criminal investigations against then President Abdulla Yameen, then Home Minister Umar Naseer and then Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon.

The case also requested that criminal investigations be conducted against then Commissioner of Police Ahmed Areef, Assistant Commissioner of Police Abdulla Nawaz, Maldives Ambassador to Sri Lanka Zahiya Zareer and other staff at the embassy.

The Office of Transitional Justice ruled on Tuesday that Shumba had been deprived of fundamental rights and was wrongfully arrested at the time. The Office decided that the State must issue a formal apology to Shumba, as well as pay compensations for the financial losses he had faced due to being placed under detention. It is so far unclear the Office's decision on the matter of seeking criminal investigations against former State officials.

Shumba was in prison from his arrest in 2015 until March, 2017. Afterwards, he remained under house arrest until December 2018, when the Criminal Court released him.

At the time, he was charged with issuing death threats to Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Council Member Zahid Rameez. However, in 2019, the Prosecutor General's Office withdrew the charge. He was not charged for any matters in relation to his arrest in Sri Lanka.