Amal raises fresh fears that Maldives may arrest exiled Nasheed in Lanka

Lawyer reacts to Male envoy’s remark that ex-Prez will be held in Lanka

Any attempt by a Maldivian diplomat to detain President Nasheed in Sri Lanka would constitute a violation of international law as well as Sri Lankan criminal law

— Amal Clooney, Nasheed’s lawyer

Colombo, Sept. 13: Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney on Wednesday raised fresh fears for the safety of her client, former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, after an official vowed to have him arrested and deported.

The London-based lawyer said that she was “very concerned” about remarks by Male’s ambassador-designate to Colombo, that he would have the exiled leader arrested if he set foot in Sri Lanka.

Clooney, who is married to Hollywood star George Clooney, had successfully petitioned a UN body which ruled in late 2015 that Nasheed was wrongfully convicted on a terrorism charge earlier that year and sentenced to 13 years in prison.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention also ordered the government of President Abdulla Yameen immediately to free Nasheed and pay him compensation, a demand rejected by the Maldives.

Nasheed travelled to London in January last year on prison leave for medical treatment and has since then remained in selfimposed exile. He travels frequently to Sri Lanka to meet fellow dissidents.

Clooney said that Nasheed should not be returned to the Maldives. “Any attempt by a Maldivian diplomat to detain President Nasheed in Sri Lanka would constitute a violation of international law as well as Sri Lankan criminal law,” she said.