Dismissing Iyaz from MNU Position Unacceptable: Yameen

Opposition leader, former President Abdullah Yameen Abdul Gayyoom has stated that the government's dismissal of Dr Iyaz Abdul Latheef from his professorship at the Maldives National University was "unacceptable".

In an interview with Channel 13, the former President said that he believed that university lecturers and professors should be allowed to engage in political discussion on Facebook on their own time. However, he mentioned that lecturers shouldn't engage in political discussions in the classroom setting and "pollute" the minds of their students. He said that parents sent their children to school to teach them skills.

Anyone should be allowed to express their political opinions, he said, and things should remain this way.

Referring to Dr Iyaz Abdul Latheef's dismissal from his professorship at the Maldives National University for posting criticisms of the government on Twitter, the former President said that criticism of the government or expressing political views should not be a reason for dismissing someone from their job.

"Dismissing Iyaz from his job was something unacceptable that this government did", said Yameen.

Dr Iyaz had worked at the Maldives National University during the Yameen administration, and Dr Iyaz had been a vocal critic of Yameen's presidency on Twitter.