Maldives President Abdulla Yameen declared a 15-day state of emergency on Monday before heavily armed troops stormed the country’s top court and a<\/p>\n
former leader was arrested in a deepening political crisis.<\/p>\n
The island nation has been plunged into chaos, with the president pitted against the Supreme Court after he refused to comply with its Thursday order to<\/p>\n
release nine political dissidents.<\/p>\n
The standoff comes amid a years-long government crackdown on dissent that has battered the image of the upmarket holiday paradise, with the president<\/p>\n
jailing almost all the political opposition since he came to power in 2013.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Maldives police arrested Yameen’s estranged half-brother and former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had sided with the main opposition.<\/p>\n
The 80-year-old — president for 30 years until the country’s first democratic elections in 2008 — was taken from his home in the capital Male around midnight on<\/p>\n
Monday, according to a tweet from his daughter Yumna Maumoon.<\/p>\n
“I have not done anything to be arrested,” Gayoom said in a video message to supporters posted on Twitter. “I urge you to remain steadfast in your resolve too.<\/p>\n
We will not give up on the reform work we are doing.”<\/p>\n
Heavily armed troops and police special operations units had earlier stormed the Supreme Court building where Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and others were<\/p>\n
sheltering, the court said on Twitter, though their fate was not immediately clear.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of people had gathered outside the courts complex and police used pepper spray to disperse the crowds. The court’s shock move on Thursday had<\/p>\n
also ordered the government to restore the seats of 12 legislators sacked for defecting from Yameen’s party.<\/p>\n
The opposition now has the majority in the assembly — meaning they could potentially impeach the president. But the government, which has ordered police and<\/p>\n
troops to resist any attempt to arrest or impeach Yameen, said the court was not above the law.<\/p>\n
“The Supreme Court ruling stands in defiance of the highest authority in the country: the constitution,” spokesman Ibrahim Hussain Shihab said in a statement.<\/p>\n
“The Supreme Court must remember that it too is bound by law.”<\/p>\n
He said the government would “facilitate calm” and ensure the safety of all citizens and tourists “throughout this unusual period”.<\/p>\n
– ‘MARTIAL LAW’ –<\/p>\n
In a blow to the regime, the court’s Thursday decision also paved the way for exiled former president Mohamed Nasheed — the first to be democratically<\/p>\n
elected but who was controversially convicted of terrorism in 2015 — to run for president this year.<\/p>\n
Yameen, who has faced several unsuccessful opposition attempts to impeach him for alleged corruption, responded by shuttering parliament and on Monday<\/p>\n
his aide Azima Shukoor announced the state of emergency on national television.<\/p>\n
The emergency declaration gives sweeping powers to security forces to arrest and detain individuals, curtails the powers of the judiciary and bars parliament<\/p>\n
from impeaching Yameen. But it must be officially conveyed to parliament within two days, according to officials.<\/p>\n
– US ‘TROUBLED’ –<\/p>\n
Opposition legislators have also called on the international community to pressure Yameen. The United States said it was “troubled and disappointed” at reports<\/p>\n
the leader had declared a state of emergency while calling on him to comply with the rule of law.<\/p>\n
“Despite being elected in 2013 with the support of a broad coalition, President Yameen has systematically alienated his coalition, jailed or exiled every major<\/p>\n
opposition political figure, deprived elected Members of Parliament of their right to represent their voters in the legislature, revised laws to erode human rights…<\/p>\n
and weakened the institutions of government,” the State Department said in a statement.<\/p>\n
– CONCERNED INDIA \u2013<\/p>\n
India has expressed concern over the recent political developments in the Maldives and asked its nationals to defer all non-essential travels to the Indian Ocean<\/p>\n
nation until further notice. In an advisory, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Indian expatriates in Maldives are also alerted to the need for heightened<\/p>\n
security awareness, and urged to exercise due caution in public and avoid public gatherings.<\/p>\n
Reacting to the development, India had said it was imperative for \u201call organs\u201d of the Maldivian government to abide by the country\u2019s Supreme Court order to<\/p>\n
release all political prisoners \u201cin the spirit of democracy\u201d.<\/p>\n
The United Nations, Australia, Britain, Canada, India and the US previously welcomed the court’s decision, while UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the<\/p>\n
weekend called for “restraint” as the crisis escalated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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