News
Jailed Maldives ex-president to seek surgery in UK: Male Govt
View(s):MAL, Maldives, Jan 16, (AFP) – The Maldives’ opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed, who is serving a 13-year jail term following a controversial trial, has been allowed to travel to Britain for surgery, the Maldives government said Saturday.
In this photograph taken on November 10, 2013, former Maldivian president and presidential candidate Mohamed Nasheed speaks during a press conference in Male.
Nasheed, who became the country’s first democratically elected leader in the Maldives. The sudden change of heart by the Maldivian government came amid a flurry of high-level diplomatic activity involving neighbouring India, Sri Lanka and former colonial power Britain.
India’s Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar visited Male for talks with the government and stopped over in Colombo this week while Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera made an unscheduled visit to Male on Thursday.
Britain’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hugo Swire was due in Male Saturday shortly after the government’s concession was initially announced on Twitter by the Maldivian foreign ministry.
None of the countries has commented publicly on what was discussed during the visits, but diplomatic sources told AFP that backroom manoeuvring had contributed to the decision to allow Nasheed to travel.
President Yameen, a half brother of former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom who ruled for 30 years until his defeat at the first multi-party elections by Nasheed in 2008, has cracked down on dissent and arrested political opponents.
Yameen has said that a blast aboard his speed boat in which his wife and two others were injured in September was an attempt to assassinate him.
He sacked his defence minister and impeached his deputy president Ahmed Adeeb over allegedly attempting to kill him. In July, Yameen sacked his then deputy and running mate at the 2013 elections, Mohamed Jameel, on a charge of treason.
Jameel remains in self-imposed exile abroad while several opposition activists are either in jail or face prosecution for alleged anti-government activities.
Nasheed was forced out in what he called a coup led by the military and police in February 2012. Since then, the Maldives, a leading destination for upmarket tourists, has remained in political turmoil.