Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

Maldives Chief Justice detained as president declares martial law

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Maldives has been arrested after placing a court order on the President to release political prisoners, reports the BBC.

Chief Justice Abdualla Saeed and another judge were arrested hours after the Maldives government declared a state of emergency. The state of emergency gives a range of powers to the security forces to make arrests and ban public gatherings.

Last week the Supreme Court ordered the release of opposition politicians, whilst also ruling the 2015 trial of former President Mohameed Nasheed, who is now in exile, as unconstitutional.

In a tweet, former Maldives president, Mr Nasheed, asked for the US and India to help remove President Yameen, adding that he had illegally declared martial law in the Maldives.

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.