UN rights chief says Maldives crackdown on political dissent 'all-out assault on democracy'

Описание

The UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein has condemned the crackdown on political dissent in the Maldives as an all-out assault on democracy. The island nation has been plunged into crisis recently, with the country's president declaring a state of emergency this week after the Supreme Court ordered the release of jailed opposition leaders. The declaration led to two justices being arrested. In a statement Wednesday, al-Hussein urged the Maldives government to immediately lift the state of emergency. He accused President Abdulla Yameen Gayoom of usurping the authority of the State's rule-of-law institutions and its ability to work independently from the executive. The commissioner's criticism came a day after the three remaining Supreme Court judges reversed last week's ruling, reinstating the convictions against President Gayoom's political opponents.