Maldives Chief Justice held after Emergency declared

■ Ex- President Nasheed seeks Indian military intervention in turmoil

Colombo/ Male, Feb. 6: Exiled former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed on Tuesday sought India’s diplomatic and military intervention to resolve the ongoing political crisis in the island nation after President Abdulla Yameen declared emergency and troops arrested the top judge.

The picturesque Indian Ocean archipelago was plunged into chaos on Thursday when the Supreme Court called for the release of nine imprisoned Opposition politicians, ruling that their trials were politically motivated and flawed.

The government refused to implement the ruling, prompting a wave of protests in the capital, Male, with angry clashes between police and demonstrators.

Yameen on Monday declared a state of emergency. Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and another judge, Ali Hameed, were arrested hours after the government declared emergency. No details were given on the investigation or any charges.

Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has allied himself with the Opposition, was detained at his home.

Nasheed, whose Maldivian Democratic Party ( MDP) functions from Colombo, appealed for India’s help. In a statement issued here by the MDP, Nas- heed said, “We would like the Indian government to send an envoy, backed by its military, to free the judges and the political detainees, including former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, from their detention and to bring them to their homes. We are asking for a physical presence”.

Nasheed said President Yameen has illegally declared martial law.

“Yameen’s announcement which declares a state of emergency, the banning of fundamental freedoms, and the suspension of the SC is tantamount to a declaration of martial law in Maldives. This is unconstitutional and illegal. Nobody in the Maldives needs to, or should, follow this unlawful order,” Nasheed said.

“We must remove him from power. The people of the Maldives have a legitimate request to world governments, especially to India and the US”.

He also asked the US to ensure that all American financial institutions stop transactions of the Yameen regime’s leaders.

Earlier, Nasheed also expressed concern over Yameen’s deliberate delay in implementing the SC ruling to immediately release political prisoners. “This deliberate refusal by the government to uphold the Constitution destabilises Maldives and wider Indian Ocean security,” Nasheed said.