Journalist Injured, 11 Arrested, Several Pepper-Sprayed in Protests

The opposition Coalition's planned demonstration under the slogan of "Insaafu Kobaa?" (literally, "Where is Justice?") had been hindered by Police barricades not long after it had begun.

The demonstration had been scheduled to begin at 16:00 yesterday, with protesters to congregate near the offices of the People's Progressive Party in Henveiru. Not long after, the Maldives Police Service had contained the protesters to the area surrounding the PPM offices with barricades, preventing more protesters from joining the demonstration.

The Police soon deployed pepper-spray against the protesters. PPM Vice President, MP Ahmed Shiyam (Naifaru) was sprayed, and so was Mohamed Samahu, CEO of the Channel13 TV station.

11 protesters were detained by the Police, and a journalist for Channel 13 was injured in skirmishes that broke out and had to be taken to hospital.

Official spokesperson for the PPM, Heena Waleed, said that PNC Council-Member Nabeel Zameel and other elected members of its steering committee were among those detained.

In a tweet, MP Shiyam stated that the journalist visibly had "a media pass and the microphone". He said that "she was shoved to the ground by police and then stepped on her shoulder with combat boots".

Prolific pro-government bot-account, @SikkaMohoree, has justified the treatment of the journalist by claiming that "she was a protester with a mic and a press pass".

The demonstration is part of the Oppositions' campaign of direct action to protest the continued incarceration of former President Yameen Abdul Gayyoom after the High Court upheld the verdict of the Criminal Court that had sentenced him to 5 years in prison in late 2019. The opposition Coalition had refused to accept the High Court's ruling, and have accused the Judicial Service Commission of having being "politicized" by the government.

The opposition has been holding protests and demonstrations throughout Male City every day since the High Court hearing.

The Health Protection Agency currently has a ban on public gatherings in place on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. By law, any party who contravenes orders by the HPA may be fined up to a sum of MVR 100,000.