President dissolves Commission on Deaths and Disappearances

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Sunday, has dissolved the Commission on Deaths and Disapperances, via Presidential Decree No. 2024/16.

The commission was established on November 17, 2018, which according to Sunday's decree, has been dissolved following completion of its mandate.

Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih established the commission, as part of one his key pledges, with the aim of launching investigations on the deaths and disappearances reported from 2012 to November 17, 2018.

Among the chief cases it investigated include, prominent religious scholar Dr. Afrasheem Ali's murder in 2012, the murder of Minivan News reporter Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla in 2014, and the death of local blogger Yameen Rasheed in 2017.

Concurrent to President Muizzu's decision to dissolve the commission, several international bodies have called to divulge the commission's findings.

President's Office in response said it would publicize the information once it receives the investigation reports.

The commission is also subject of much public criticism, primary being the lack of sufficient work carried out by it despite significant state expenditure incurred. Moreover, the commission's refusal to share the investigative reports of Dr. Afrasheem, Yameen Rasheed and Rilwan's murders, with their respective families had drawn criticism as well.

The commission had incurred a total of MVR 2 million in expenses in 2019 alone, while the remuneration and allowances for the commission from 2018 to 2021 stood at MVR 4.8 million.