By Daniel Bosley
MALE, Maldives
Supporters of the imprisoned former president of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed held an underwater protest against his recent conviction on terror charges on Saturday.
Around one hundred divers in ‘Free Nasheed’ t-shirts took part in the event off the coast of Male, the capital island of the low lying archipelago best known for its luxurious resorts industry.
“We want to use this opportunity to tell the message, if there is no democracy, environmental issues will be left behind,” said the event’s organiser Hussein Rasheed.
After gaining global attention for highlighting the country’s vulnerability to climate change - including an underwater cabinet meeting in 2009 - Nasheed controversially resigned in early 2012, just weeks after authorities detained a Criminal Court judge.
Last month, Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years on terrorism charges related to the judge’s incarceration, though the trial’s proceedings have been roundly condemned by the international community.
Earlier this week, the Maldivian Democratic Party leader’s legal team announced a number of high profile lawyers, including Amal Clooney, Jared Genser, and Ben Emmerson.
“I am determined to ensure the world understands the injustice of my detention and the broader suffering of the Maldivian people under President Abdulla Yameen,” said Nasheed via his personal website.
Almost daily protests have followed Nasheed’s conviction, with a second mass protest being announced for May 1st, after a similar event in late February saw an estimated 10,000 people march through Male.
After introducing curfews on local businesses following a rise in violent crime in the capital in recent weeks, police on Thursday announced they would disband any unauthorized protests.
Speaking at Saturday's event, Hussein recalled the cancellation of the capital’s events for Earth Hour last month, when people around the world are asked to turn their lights off, pointing to the environmental achievements of the former president.
“President Nasheed is, we believe, unfairly arrested. If he is in jail, our environment is in jail,” he said.
Despite the home ministry’s insistence that residents of the capital keep the lights on for safety during Earth Hour on March 28, another fatal stabbing the same evening prompted police and the military to start joint patrols across the country.
Opposition to the current government has been further fuelled by the controversial trial and conviction of former defense minister Colonel (retired) Mohamed Nazim, who received an 11 year sentence on March 27 for weapons smuggling.
Tholhath Ibrahim Kaleyfaanu was on Friday sentenced to 10 years for his role in the detention of the judge when serving as Nasheed’s defense minister. The incumbent defense chief Moosa Ali Jaleel, who faced the same charges, was acquitted on Thursday.
Last week also saw government-aligned MP and former Majlis deputy speaker Ahmed Nazim sentenced to 25 years for corruption as the courts continued to hand down punishments unprecedented in the country’s history.
