Cameron: Sanctions may be imposed on some Maldivians

British Prime Minister David Cameron has said that the government may impose sanctions on some Maldivian individuals if the Maldivian government fails to free political prisoners.

Cameron made the statement in parliament on Wednesday in answer to a question posed by a lawmaker John Glen on whether the country would work on building an international consensus on targeting sanctions.

"We want to see a change in behavior from the Maldivian government to make sure that political prisoners are set free and, yes, we are prepared to consider targeted action against individuals if further progress isn't made," said Cameron.

Former Maldivian president and opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed – who was sentenced to 13 years in prison – is currently in Britain for medical treatment.

Nasheed, along with his wife Laila Ali and lawyer Amal Clooney met with Cameron on Saturday.

Cameron vowed during the meeting to push for democratic reform in Maldives.

“The prime minister told Mr Nasheed that the UK would continue to raise concerns about the erosion of democracy and wider situation in the Maldives and it would also continue to discuss the situation with international partners, including how best the international community can make its concerns clear to the Maldivian government,” said a spokesperson from British government.

Cameron, during a meeting of 53 Commonwealth countries in November, urged leaders to toughen their approach to the Maldives over the “unacceptable” actions of its government.

Nasheed is required to return to prison after 30 days allowed by Maldivian government for his back surgery.