Authorities make arrangements to enforce death sentence

Maldives Correctional Service has said that the authority was making preparations to enforce death sentence in the country, and that the preparations were not being made to kill any one individual in particular.

MCS media officer Ahmed Lugmaan denied media reports that the authority was making arrangements to kill Dr. Afrasheem Ali murder convict – Hussain Humam, 23.

Lugmaan said that preparations were being made to enforce death sentence, but it wasn’t just specifically so Humam can be killed.

When asked how the death sentence would be carried out, Lugmaan said that “that too is being arranged”.

He said that all the preparations would be complete very soon. And that media would be briefed, after that.

Before resigning as Minister of Home Affairs, Umar Naseer said that a law had been compiled to hang convicts sentenced to death within 30 days Supreme Court upholds the sentence.

But the law was never published in the Government Gazette.

Humam is the first convict to be sentenced to death by Supreme Court.

Afrasheem’s heirs have, however, sent a letter to court asking authorities not to enforce the death sentence until the whole investigation into the case is completed, and the people behind the murder brought to justice.

Other death sentences being appealed at Supreme Court include Ahmed Murrath’s sentence in lawyer Najeeb’s murder, and Mohamed Nabeel’s sentence in Abdulla Farhad’s murder.

Its most likely that Supreme Court will come to a decision in the two cases this week.