Thursday
18th Apr 2024
Dhivehi Edition
President Yameen and Umar Naseer.
Umar Naseer, who served as Home Minister during former President Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s regime, has stated that President Yameen had never asked not to investigate the disappearance of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla.
Umar made his statement following the claim in a report published by RaajjeTV, a news outlet notorious for spreading Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) propaganda.
Rilwan went missing in August 2014. The matter was investigated, and the suspects were charged during President Yameen’s tenure.
It is worth noting that the main suspect, Nooruddin, is a lead MDP activist. He was employed as a bodyguard for President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih during the 2018 presidential elections. He also competed for a chair in the MDP National Majilis.
No new suspects were charged by the Presidential Commission on Deaths and Enforced Disappearances (DDCom) established on the first day of President Solih’s presidency. The commission’s report confirmed that the suspects previously charged were involved in the crime. During a press conference hosted by the commission in 2019, former President of DDCom and current Supreme Court Judge Husnu Suood stated that President Yameen had no involvement in the matter.
However, DDCom has recently summoned President Yameen in relation to Rilwan’s disappearance. Although the commission has speculated that Yameen hindered the investigation, there is no evidence proving the claim.