Govt says police acted ‘responsibly and with restraint’ in MDP rally crackdown

The Maldivian government defended police conduct during the crackdown on the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s ‘Lootuvaifi’ rally in Male’ City on Friday, insisting that the police acted responsibly and with restraint in ensuring public safety, even in the face of obstruction and provocation from the protesters.

The ‘Lootuvaifi’ anti-corruption rally kicked off with hundreds of protestors at 09:00 pm Friday from the Artificial Beach in the Henveiru district of Male’. But as the protestors attempted to march along the Majeedhee Magu, the police accused them of diverting from the pre-approved route and blocked their path. Clashes ensued as protestors attempted to force their way through, with the police using pepper spray and Long-Range Acoustic Devices (LRADs) or sound cannons to control the crowd. Multiple protestors were taken into custody, while one suffered a heart attack after reportedly getting pepper-sprayed at close range.

In a statement on Saturday morning, the Foreign Ministry said that the Maldivian government remains committed to upholding democratic rights, including the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, as enshrined in the Constitution and the Freedom of Assembly Act.

The Foreign Ministry said that despite being pre-warned, protestors had diverted from the pre-approved route and headed towards the busiest road in the capital, “disrupting public order, breaking police barricades and seizing police shields and obstructing police duties.”

“The Government reiterates that the Maldives Police Service acted responsibly and with restraint in ensuring public safety, even in the face of obstruction and provocation from the protesters,” reads the statement.

The Foreign Ministry added that the government “respects and fully supports the right to protest and the right to freedom of expression to be exercised peacefully in accordance with the law.”

MDP has said that reports suggest at least 13 protestors, including two former parliamentarians, were detained by the police. The party said the police have refused to verify the details of the arrests, and were denying the protestors access to a lawyer.

The MDP has expressed concern over the condition of Mohamed Raslaan, the party’s vice president of Central Hulhumale’ constituency, who is being treated at the Intensive Care Unit of the Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) after suffering a heart attack during the rally.

MDP said the heart attack resulted from being exposed to pepper spray at close range and being subjected to LRADs – something which the party said the police are not authorized to use for crowd control.

The MDP said they will be lodging cases with both the Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) and the National Integrity Commission (NIC).