MDP accuses govt institutions of firing employees who joined Oct 3 rally

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said on Thursday that several employees at government institutions have been fired following their participation in a mass anti-government rally held last weekend in the Maldivian capital.

The MDP’s ‘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. Eight protestors were taken into custody, while one suffered a heart attack after allegedly getting pepper-sprayed at close range and getting exposed to the sound cannons.

In a post on X on Thursday morning, the MDP said that some employees at government institutions have been fired following their participation in last weekend’s rally.

The party also expressed concern that two of the protestors have had their phones seized by the police over social media posts, and that six protestors remain in police custody.

The MDP described this as acts of political persecution designed to intimidate the opposition and silence all dissent.

“Every single case constitutes undeniable political persecution and discrimination, with the express intent to intimidate opposition and silence all dissent,” said the MDP.

“These desperate actions are proof of the failure of this administration, and their desperation of to control the public.”

MDP said that threats and intimidation have never worked and never will.

“The people will not be silenced,” added the party.

Some employees at government institutions have been terminated following their participation in the October 3rd, protest, while 2 others have had their phones confiscated by police for posts made on social media. 6 protestors still remain in custody.

Every single case…

— MDP Secretariat (@MDPSecretariat) October 9, 2025

While the MDP has not specified the government employees who allegedly got fired, posts on X by individual MDP activists suggest it refers to two employees who got fired from the Road Development Corporation (RDC) – a state-owned enterprise. Both of them had joined last weekend’s rally.

Six of the eight protestors arrested from Friday’s rally have been remanded in custody of the police for 15 days on allegations of “disobeying police orders, obstruction, and damage to police gear.” They are:

• Former Dhaandhoo MP Yaugoob Abdulla
• Former North Kulhudhuffushi MP Yasir Abdul Latheef
• President of Maafushi Council, Hassan Solah
• Ali Juman, former senior administrative assistant at the President’s Office
• Azeem Ali
• Hassan Shakir

The six detainees, who are being held at the Dhoonidhoo Custodial Jail, had launched a hunger strike over alleged denial of proper medical attention and delays in the investigation, before ending it on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, two other protestors had their phones confiscated by the police this week over social media posts. Aminath Shiman Ahmed, a young activist from MDP, had her phone confiscated by police on Wednesday night, over a comment she made on social media platform X on September 20 in which she allegedly suggested that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu should be killed. And on Tuesday, the police seized the phone of another MDP activist, Fathimath Zahiyya (Zaya). A member of the MDP’s national council and the party’s president of North Hulhumale’ constituency, Zaya is under investigation over a Facebook post in which she allegedly threatened the police.