Transitional Justice Bill presented to Parliament

The Transitional Justice Bill – a legislature which the Maldivian government promises will redress systematic abuses which have taken place in Maldives over the past seven years – has been presented to the Parliament.

The bill was presented on behalf of the government by Central Hithadhoo MP Ahmed Rasheed this Monday.

The bill is designed to provide a legal framework to remedy significant cases of systematic human, civil and political rights violations suffered by Maldivian citizens in the hands of either a state institution or senior state officials from January 1, 2012 to November 17, 2018.

The objectives which the bill aims to achieve is listed as; establishing peace within the community, working towards communal harmony, maintaining national peace and stability, accommodate for civic stability, foster a state based on the rule of law, and facilitate justice for citizens.

The bill establishes that an ombudsman’s office must be established to achieve the objectives – the responsibilities of which are:

• Identifying, investigating and uncovering the truth behind cases of a human rights violation suffered by a citizen due to a systematic abuse meted out by a state institution or a past or present senior official of a state institution.
• Identifying the cause, nature and scale of systematic human rights violations.
• Identifying and holding accountable the state institution or past or present senior state official of a state institution found to have systematically violated the human rights of a citizen in accordance with the bill.
• Forwarding the cases of criminal misconduct discovered upon investigation by the ombudsman’s office to the Prosecutor General’s Office for criminal charges, and to the Attorney General’s Office for civil charges.
• Identifying the perpetrators and victims of systematic human rights violations in light of investigations by the ombudsman’s office, and facilitating compensation and assistance to victims.
• Identifying the measures necessary to reform the state institutions found to have engaged in systematic human rights violations.
• Identifying the preventive measures necessary to ensure systematic human rights violations aren’t repeated.

Establishing transitional justice had been one of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s electoral pledges; something which he promised to fulfill within the first two years of his presidency.