UN alarm on Maldives

A SENIOR UN official warned the Security Council yesterday that the situation in the Maldives, where the president has declared a state of emergency, might deteriorate.

The top UN body met to discuss the crisis sparked by President Abdulla Yameen’s decision to arrest judges who had ordered the release of his political opponents.

UN Assistant SecretaryGeneral Miroslav Jenca told the top UN body that while there were no reports of violence, “the situation in the Maldives is tense and may deteriorate even further”.

It was the first time that the council discussed the crisis since it began on February 1, but there was no statement released after the meeting.

The crisis was triggered by a surprise Supreme Court decision to release from jail former president and opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed and eight other political prisoners.

Mr Nasheed was in self-imposed exile abroad after leaving the islands on prison leave.

Four days after the court order, Mr Yameen declared the state of emergency and ordered his security forces to the court to arrest the chief justice.

The UN has urged Mr Yameen to lift the state of emergency, while its human rights chief described Mr Yameen’s actions as “an all-out assault on democracy”.