Uwazi

Groups that endorse violent ultra-nationalist or Islamist ideology have tried to shut down a leading women�s rights organization in the Maldives since mid-June 2020, and have threatened other activist groups, Human Rights Watch said today. But the Maldives government has failed to act against these groups.

The government of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih should investigate and appropriately prosecute those responsible for harassment, intimidation, or assault, instead of appeasing these groups.

�Islamist extremist groups that are a relic of the previous abusive government persist in their threats and violence against pro-democracy activists,� said Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch. �The Solih administration should demonstrate a firm commitment to free expression by taking action against those attacking it.�

Recently, extremist groups � called �gangs� in the Maldives � opened a social media campaign demanding the government ban Uthema, the country�s main women�s rights organization. The women�s rights group had published a report assessing the Maldives government�s adherence to its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Proponents of this campaign have accused Uthema of being anti-Islam.

A similar campaign by extremist groups in November 2019 prompted the Solih government to shut down the Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN), the country�s leading human rights organization. Islamist gangs had accused MDN of insulting Islam in a 2015 report on radicalization in the Maldives.

Islamist extremists in the Maldives have long used social media to target activists who promote the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, or publish material and support causes that are deemed �offensive� to Islam. Some of these gangs have links to prominent politicians, and have assaulted and murdered activists with impunity.

A government-appointed commission investigating deaths and enforced disappearances in the Maldives found that criminal gang leaders planned and carried out several murders of prominent activists.

Ahmed Rilwan, an outspoken journalist who uncovered political corruption and its links to Islamist extremism, disappeared in 2014. He was murdered by a group affiliated to al-Qaeda, said the commission president, Husnu Suood. Yameen Rasheed, a blogger and social media activist known for his satirical political commentaries, was stabbed to death in 2017.

The commission also concluded that the al-Qaeda-linked gang had a �hit list� that included other activists and critics of the government. On June 22, 2020, commission members told the parliament speaker that they were unable to proceed any further with the investigations. Suood had previously warned that the criminal justice system was protecting religious extremists and their criminal acts.

The government�s failure to curb threats of violence and prosecute extremist group leaders has had a chilling effect on civil society, Human Rights Watch said. Social justice organizations have raised concerns about the shrinking civic space due to threats from violent extremist groups and the government�s failure to take action against them.

The Maldives government has obligations under international human rights law to respect and uphold the right of people to freely receive and disseminate all types of information, Human Rights Watch said.

�Maldives authorities should take immediate steps to stem violence by Islamist extremist groups that threatens the work of human rights defenders,� Gossman said. �The government should act swiftly to bring to justice those responsible for these brutal attacks, and make clear public statements in support of religious freedom and free speech.�

Funds in the bank account of Maldives Democracy Network (MDN), dissolved for mocking Islam and the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) through their report on extremism, has been transferred to the Deaf Association.

RaajjeMV understands from a reliable source that the funds in MDN's bank account at the State Bank of India (SBI) was frozen following its dissolution by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment.

The NGO was disbanded during November last year after their report “Preliminary Assessment of Radicalization in the Maldives” came to the attention of the public for content that was disrespectful to Islam. While MDN has yet to announce their final plans for the organisation's funds, the ministry instructed the NGO to submit the necessary paperwork regarding their debts and finances within 45 days. That deadline ended on December 19th.

Sources reveal that the funds in the NGO's account at SBI have since been transferred to the Deaf Association. As such, article 5(f) of the Associations Act (Act No: 1/2003) states that if an association fails to submit financial statements within the allocated time-period following disbandment "any money or property left over after paying off the debts and liabilities of the association after its dissolution shall be given away to another non-profit association or to a government-approved charity".

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment made the decision to dissolve MDN after Maldives Police Service (MPS) forwarded their initial assessment on the “Preliminary Assessment of Radicalization in the Maldives” report by MDN to the ministry on 1 November. Police declared that the report, in fact, consists of content that is disrespectful and mocks the religion, ridicules Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and tarnishes Islamic tenets.

After MDN's report came to public attention, many island councils released press statements demanding the disbandment of the organisation. Hence, many members of the public expressed appreciation to the incumbent administration for its decision to dissolve MDN. Nevertheless, while the organisation currently ceases to exist, many members of the public have also voiced concern regarding the lack of action taken against MDN's leadership.

The Maldivian Democracy Network has challenged the government’s “arbitrary and unilateral” decision to ban the human rights NGO over content in a 2016 report that was deemed slanderous and contrary to the tenets of Islam.

The community empowerment ministry de-registered MDN on November 5 and instructed the rights group to settle its debts and matters related to its property within 45 days. The formal dissolution was announced last Thursday with the ministry saying MDN did not respond at all within the 45-day period.

But MDN called the claim “a blatant untruth” in a statement on Friday. The NGO said it had sought clarification on several legal issues a day after the announcement and informed the ministry that it could not comply with the de-registration directive without an explanation.

MDN contended that the directive was illegal and a “gross violation” of constitutional rights to be informed of allegations and to reply and defend itself, accusing the ministry of denying “basic fairness and procedural propriety.”

The unprecedented move to ban an NGO came after the Islamic ministry and police concluded that MDN’s ‘Preliminary Assessment of Radicalisation in the Maldives’ mocked Islam and Prophet Mohamed. The 2003 associations law prohibits NGOs from contradicting tenets of Islam or undermining religious unity, the community empowerment ministry said in November.

Religious scholars launched a campaign to ban MDN in early October after screenshots of the report were widely shared on social media. More than 140 out of 200 local councils backed the calls and protest marches took place on several islands. On October 10, the government suspended the NGO after the Islamic ministry asked police to investigate but the campaign continued unabated and opposition parties seized upon the cause with protests of their own.

The decision to formally dissolve MDN has been welcomed by Jumhooree Party leader Gasim Ibrahim, Maldives Reform Movement leader and former president, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, and religious scholars from the Adhaalath Party – three partners of the ruling coalition led by the Maldivian Democratic Party of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed.

In its statement, MDN urged the authorities to share a copy of the investigative report produced by the police and Islamic ministry “in order to contest this apparent unfair treatment and violation of the inalienable right to freedom of association.”

Alleging the presence of radical elements within the police and Islamic ministry, MDN argued that there was a “high conflict of interest when the government’s decision to ban MDN followed a social media smear campaign by radical and extremist religious groups, followed by a complaint filed against MDN at the police by the Islamic Ministry, the investigation having been conducted by the police jointly with the Islamic Ministry, with the exclusion of MDN, to review the content of the report without due process and an absolutely silent government when asked to explain.”

It added: “MDN has worked to protect and promote democracy and the fundamental rights of the people of the Maldives for the past fifteen years, and believe that the Government of Maldives has colluded with radicalised religious groups to eliminate the organisation due to our legitimate efforts to advocate for human rights and counter violent extremism in the Maldives.”

The government has decided to dissolve the Maldivian Democracy Network over content in a 2016 report that was deemed contrary to the tenets of Islam.

The community empowerment ministry cancelled MDN’s registry on Tuesday and informed the NGO to settle its debts and matters related to its property within 45 days.

The unprecedented move came after the Islamic ministry and police concluded that MDN’s ‘Preliminary Assessment of Radicalisation in the Maldives’ mocked Islam and Prophet Mohamed, the community empowerment ministry announced. The 2003 associations law prohibits NGOs from contradicting tenets of Islam or undermining religious unity, it added.

Religious scholars launched a campaign to ban MDN in early October after screenshots of offensive sections in the report were widely shared on social media. More than 140 out of 200 local councils backed the calls and protest marches took place on several islands during the past four weekends. On October 10, the government suspended the NGO after the Islamic ministry asked police to investigate but the campaign continued unabated and opposition parties seized upon the cause with protests of their own.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will take any action necessary to uphold rule of law and protect Islam and public interest, Home Minister Sheikh Imran Abdulla declared. “God willing, this government will not do anything without wisdom and due process,” the Adhaalath Party leader tweeted.

Sheikh Dr Mohamed Iyaz, a senior member of the Adhaalath Party and one of the leaders of the campaign to ban MDN, thanked the president for following through on assurances “even if it came a bit late.” Sheikh Ali Zaid also congratulated the president and expressed confidence that the report’s authors would be prosecuted.

A group of scholars met with the president last month to share concerns.

The Maldives constitution limits free speech to expression that are “not contrary to any tenet of Islam” and the penal code criminalises “criticism of Islam in a public medium with the intention of causing disregard for Islam,” which is categorised as a class one misdemeanour that carries a maximum prison sentence of one year.

The Maldives government on Thursday shut down human rights group Maldivian Democracy Network over “content slandering Islam and the Prophet Mohamed” in a 2016 report on radicalisation.

Citing an ongoing police investigation prompted by public outrage, the registrar of associations at the community empowerment ministry ordered the NGO to suspend its operations. In a statement released shortly thereafter, the foreign ministry said the Maldives remains committed to upholding constitutional rights but noted that free speech in the country was “subject to refrainment from creating communal discord or blatantly contravening the fundamental tenets of Islam.”

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights also recognises that the right to freedom of expression “cannot be exercised maliciously, in the form of hate-speech, or in a manner that contributes to public discord and enmity,” it added.

“The maintenance of public order and communal harmony while ensuring the rights of citizens are the highest obligations of any government. Islam is one of the fundamental sources of our country’s democratic framework as well as a source of unity and peace within our community,” the statement continued.

“The government unequivocally condemns those who foment hatred, send out threats and call for violence against others in the name of defending religion. We will not hesitate to use the full force of the law against those who do so. We call upon all parties to exercise their rights in a manner that is respectful of each other and the sentiments of the wider Maldivian community.”

A campaign led by religious scholars to ban MDN was launched earlier this month after screenshots of offensive sections in the report were widely shared on social media. The Islamic ministry asked police to investigate as President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih promised to take action.

In the face of the public outcry, MDN removed the report from its website and apologised for offending public sensitivities with the language used in the report. The NGO said it has decided to revise the report with the help of religious scholars.

In a second statement last week, MDN reiterated that it does not “accept or condone disrespect to Islam” and warned of “targeted campaigns to spread disinformation and hatred” in an alleged attempt to divert the focus of new counter-terrorism efforts. The NGO condemned death threats made against its members and staff.

“We accept the unfortunate use of language in some sections of the report. We have offered an apology for any offence to public sensitivities as soon as these issues were raised, and have since retracted the report for further review. MDN is providing full cooperation to the Maldives Police Service in its investigation against this organisation,” it added.

MDN Executive Director Shahindha Ismail told The Wire that the government was “trying to appease extremists and in doing so contradicting with due process and democratic principles by obstructing the legitimate work of a 14-year-old human rights organisation.”

On Friday, Human Rights Watch called on the government to immediately reverse MDN’s suspension and “investigate Islamist groups responsible for inciting violence against rights groups in the Maldives.” By shutting down the NGO, President Solih was “feeding a frenzy of threats and incitement by Islamist groups,” said Patricia Gossman, Asia associate director at the international human rights organisation.

HRW’s call was echoed by the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders.

“Instead of impeding the legitimate and important work done by MDN, the government should address rampant religious extremism and protect human rights defenders,” said Adilur Rahman Khan, FIDH Vice-President.

“It’s the ongoing use of social media to threaten and intimidate Maldivian human rights defenders that should be investigated, not a three-year old report that impeccably described instances of radicalisation among certain sectors of Maldivian society,” said Gerald Staberock, OMCT Secretary General.