PPM to go on protests against government intimidation of Judiciary and independent institutions

The Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) has today decided to conduct a large-scale protest against the government’s repeated intimidation of the Maldivian Judiciary and the independent commissions. PPM Protest Committee passed a resolution to this effect by a unanimous decision of the five members of the Committee.

In a meeting held today at PPM Office, Council Member and Member of Protrest Committee Ahmed “Maaz” Saleem said that his party would not sit back and watch the government continuously intimidating and bullying the Judiciary and independent commissions into becoming subjugated to the government’s will.

“We will go on protests, but at this time, we would not announce the date and time for the protests”, said Maaz.

Maaz accused the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) of daunting the Judicial Service Commission in the disciplinary hearing being conducted against Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdullah Muhammad in order to coerce the members of the Commission to decide the case as MDP wishes.

“This is done in order to bring the Judiciary under their full control”, Maaz said. “We want to secure for the Judges of this country their constitutionally guaranteed independence. And we are taking steps to ensure that that independence is not undermined by the government for their inappropriate political agendas”.

Meanwhile, MDP has repeatedly claimed that they want “to free the Judiciary”, and has conducted protests against the Judiciary saying that the Judges were under the influence of former Government.