Protestors demand government to stick on court orders and free Judge Abdullah at once

The arrest of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court, Abdullah Mohamed by the military without a warrant has sparked protests and civic unrest in the capital Male’ City.

Protestors first gathered at the MMA area calling for the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed. The protestors demanded the government to adhere to court orders and release Judge Abdullah Mohamed right away.

Last evening, the protestors gathered in front of the residences of Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair, Chief of Police Faseeh and Home Minister Hassan Afeef. The angry protestors called for their immediate resignation for their violation of the constitution.

MP for Kurendhoo constituency and MP for VilliMaafannu Ahmed Nihan and several others were arrested during last night’s unrest.

According to media reports the Police broke up the civilian protest by force using tear gas and batons. Concluding last night’s protest, MP Ahmed Mahloof said that the protests will continue up until the government adheres to the constitution.

Meanwhile, Judge Abdullah Mohamed’s lawyer Riza said that the location where the judge is detained and the actual reason for the arrest have been kept private even to his family. Riza said that this is in violation of the fundamental rights of the detained.

Opposition leaders have stated that the military forcefully and illegally arrested the chief judge of the criminal court because he released Deputy Leader of the opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party Dr. Mohamed Jameel who had been detained without a warrant for allegedly defaming the government by spreading unauthenticated and spurious information.

With the arrest of Judge Abdullah, the High Court and the Supreme Court ordered the release of the judge stating that the arrest was illegal and was done in opposition to the Judges Act. Prosecutor General and Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz also issued orders for his immediate release. However, the government has so far rejected the orders of the three authorities.

The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) also issued a press release following the arrest of Judge Abdullah. JSC stated that it is not in the jurisdiction of the armed forces and the Police to take action against any judge without a court warrant and approval of the Prosecutor General.