It is Government

A statement from Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has said that it is a responsibility of the government of the Maldives to ensure a secure and safe working environment for the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM).

The statement which was issued yesterday expressed “concern” about the suo moto action taken by the Supreme Court of the Maldives against HRCM. The statement also says that HRCM and the Civil Society should be given opportunity to work with the UN Human Rights machinery without intimidation from anybody.

The statement urges the Maldivian government to act in consonance with its earlier cooperation with the UN in preparing the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

The statement also stated that Zaid Raad al Hussein had sent a letter to the Maldivian government following the commencement of hearings in the Supreme Court’s suo moto action against HRCM.

Supreme Court of the Maldives began suo moto legal proceedings against the HRCM, after the Commission accused the Supreme Court of inappropriately influencing and controlling lower courts. The claim made in the UPR was not substantiated with any facts, and the report was published without giving the Supreme Court to answer the claims.

There is widespread dissatisfaction in the Maldivian society about the HRCM’s failure to address serious issues of human rights abuse in the Maldives, and many complain that the Commission is interested mainly in the rights of criminals and people accused of crimes.

There is also widespread dislike of the UN policies in its declared objective of protection of human rights, and many Maldivians see the UN as practicing double standards in its treatment of human rights issues all over the world. While the UN human rights system has failed to address human rights issues in countries such as Palestine, many Maldivians are concerned that the UN is trying to impose certain ideologies and value systems on small nations like the Maldives.