Former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed, who was arrested by Maldivian police on Tuesday, will appear in the court today. The trial will be held at Hulhumale Magistrate Court at 4 pm.
According to the Maldivian government officials, Nasheed was arrested after a third warrant was issued against him on Tuesday for detaining Judge Abdulla Mohamed, chief judge of the Criminal Court, during his tenure as the president.
Nasheed was arrested and taken into police custody at 1.30 p.m. Tuesday, Minivan News quoted police spokesperson Hassan Haneef as saying.
“We have received the order. Police have taken Nasheed into custody in order to produce him at Hulhumale Magistrate Court 15 hours from now,” Haneef said.
Minivan News said photos of Nasheed’s arrest showed several dozen police personnel wearing balaclavas and black riot gear, several armed with rubber bullet guns, entering Nasheed’s family home in Male and emerging with the former president.
Nasheed’s arrest led to a fresh uproar and spate of protests in this capital city, Xinhua reported.
Earlier, Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) spokesperson Hameed Abdul Gafoor said Nasheed was arrested outside his house by police personnel, who took him away without any explanation,
“They just took him. We do not know why and we do not know where he has been taken,” Gafoor said.
Last month, Nasheed had evaded two earlier arrest warrants by securing diplomatic shelter in the Indian High Commission in Male. He took shelter in the Indian Mission for 11 days after failing to appear in court.
—IANS