'Abuses on the rise in Maldives'

Security forces in the Maldives have stepped up attacks against peaceful demonstrators since the resignation of its first democratically elected president, Amnesty International said yesterday.
The crackdown included the detention, beating and sexual harassment of four women participating in an anti-government rally, other beatings, pepper-spraying and arrests, the London-based rights watchdog said.
Amnesty detailed it's findings in a report entitled "The other side of paradise: a human rights crisis in the Maldives".
It said authorities had failed to honour pledges made earlier this year that human rights violations committed during and after the transfer of power would be addressed.