MDP: President Nasheed is held hostage

As the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention rules in favor of the former President Mohamed Nasheed, MDP has said that every day the former President is held in custody is a day he spends as a hostage.

Speaking at a press conference at the MDP Office this morning, the Vice President of MDP, Mohamed Shifaaz said that MDP will not stop their activities as long as President Nasheed is kept as a hostage. He said that although 192 countries of the United Nations have raised their concerns against the sentencing of President Nasheed, the current Government has failed to hear them. And that MDP would do anything they have to, to make the Government listen.

At the press conference, MDP Foreign Relations Committee member, Ahmed Thasmeen Ali said that there are international agreements the Maldives have agreed to and the country have agree to provide specific things to the people of the country under those agreements.

“The U.N. Working Group (on Arbitrary Detention) said that the Maldives does not provide the rights of the people as the country have agreed to. Meaning the Working Group decided that President Nasheed was arrested outside the laws.” Thasmeen said.

The MP for the North Mahchangolhi constituency, Maaria Ahmed Didi said that the CoNI report that was released a few years ago after the regime change was also something a large number of people did not agree with. But since they agreed to support the CoNI report, it was accepted although there were things people did not agree to was in it.

The Vice President of MDP, Shifaaz said that the MPD activities on the streets would increase again. And so preparations are being made for a big rally on 9 October.