Jailed ex-leader seeks freedom:

A Maldives court released five political prisoners and heard appeals for freedom from several others on Monday, including a former president, just hours after strongman leader Abdulla Yameen conceded a shock election defeat.

Yameen, who jailed or exiled most of his rivals during a turbulent five-year term, was unexpectedly beaten by an opposition candidate who immediately urged the ousted president to free all dissidents he had incarcerated. Opposition lawmaker and former police chief Abdulla Riyaz and four others were released by the Criminal Court in the capital Male on Monday.

They had been held indefinitely following an alleged plot to impeach Yameen in February that saw dozens detained. Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the country’s longest-serving leader and estranged half-brother to Yameen, was among several other political prisoners brought to Male to lodge appeals against their sentences. Their cases were referred to the country’s High Court. (AFP)