Cops foil rally, many injured, arrested

Dozens of pro-opposition supporters were injured and many were arrested after police in the Maldives broke up countrywide protests demanding the resignation of President Yameen Abdul Gayoom and the release of his political opponents from prison.

Thousands of people took part in the protests in the archipelago nation Friday despite the country being under a state of emergency.

Several people were hospitalised with injuries and many protesters were arrested, but hospital and police officials refused to provide numbers. The injured included about 10 reporters who were covering the protest.

Police said in a statement yesterday that the demonstrators had ignored warnings that the right to protest has been suspended under the state of emergency.

"In spite of the warning, certain political leaders encouraged this protest, encouraged citizens to face off against security services personnel," the statement said.

"We also note that the actions of some journalists mirrored that of some protesters," it said, apparently trying to explain how the reporters were injured.

MALE SEEKS FOREIGN HELP ON 'CORRUPT' JUDGES

Meanwhile, a senior Maldives diplomat told Reuters that the country will seek help from other countries to investigate judges suspected of taking bribes and "hijacking" the Supreme Court to drag the island nation into political crisis.

The Maldives has been in political turmoil since Feb 1, when the country's Supreme Court ordered the release of several of Yameen's political opponents imprisoned after trials that were criticised locally and internationally for alleged violation of due process.

The prisoners include Mohamed Nasheed, the country's first president elected in a free election, who could have been Yameen's main rival in his re-election bid later this year.

After days of conflict with the judiciary, Yameen declared a 15-day state of emergency and had the country's chief justice and another Supreme Court judge arrested on bribery allegations.

Yameen's half brother and former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, whom Nasheed defeated in the country's first democratic election 10 years ago, was also arrested for conspiring to overthrow the government.

"That was a direct attempt by the Supreme Court to halt the whole country and go into a deadlock," said Ahmed Shiaan, Maldives ambassador to the European Union.

He showed Reuters a Maldives police statement which said a bag containing $215,000 and 150,000 rufiyaa ($9,700) belonging to one Supreme Court judge had been found, and that $2.4 million had been separately wired to the judge by a private firm.

Shiaan said that judge, and a second judge on the Supreme Court, had been arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes from former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom to deliver certain verdicts in his favour.

"Together, it amounted to collusion to use the Supreme Court to overthrow a democratically elected and constitutional government," Shiaan said in the interview.

Lawyers for the two judges said their clients also denied all the charges. One said his client had been refused permission to deny the charges.

Opposition legislators in the past have complained of authorities targeting them with false allegations. Yameen has denied such accusations. Most of the opposition leaders likely to challenge Yameen in a presidential vote later this year are facing jail sentences. Some have urged India to intervene.

The United Nations, United States, Britain and India have called for the judges to be freed, while independent experts reporting to the UN Human Rights Council have said the rule of law in the Maldives is "under siege".

The Maldives wants to hold "all party" talks and has asked the United Nations to facilitate them, Shiaan said.

Yameen is expected to run for re-election later this year, but neither Gayoom nor Nasheed, who was granted asylum in Britain in 2016, will be eligible to run, Shiaan said.