UN: Conduct of trial of Maldives

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has said that the trial of the former president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed was flawed and unfair.

In a statement issued today, the High Commissioner said the sentence handed down by the criminal court in Male, the Maldivian capital last Friday, was part of "a rushed process" that prevented Nasheed's defense from calling witnesses.

The trial "appears to contravene the Maldives' own laws and practices and international fair trial standards in a number of respects," said Zaid, a former Jordanian ambassador to the United Nations.

The statement says that the former president was charged with terrorism and the charge was retracted before he was arrested and the trail began a day later.

The High Commissioner said, “The fact that judges in the case, as well as the Prosecutor-General, have also been witnesses in the investigation must raise serious questions about conflicts of interest.”

He expressed concerns about the independence of the Maldivian Judiciary system, and said the trial should have been handled with great care and transparency.

While the UN joins the list of United States, India and Australia who has already expressed their concerns, the European Union (EU) has questioned the fairness of the sentence.

The former president Mohamed Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in prison last Friday after he was found guilty of the unlawful arrest of the Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed.