Respite or freedom?

A defiant Nasheed arrives in London after refusing to leave behind guarantor:

by Darren Boyle

Amal Clooney warmly greeted the deposed former president of the Maldives at Heathrow Airport after the politician was granted temporary release from prison to fly to Britain for surgery. 

Mohamed Nasheed, 48, became the Indian Ocean island’s first democratically elected leader in 2008, but was deposed in what he has described as a military coup. 

After losing power, Nasheed was jailed for 13 years on terrorism charges. The conviction has been criticised by the United Nations, which said he should be released and compensated for his wrongful detention. But Nasheed refused a government request to leave a relative behind to act as a guarantor, liable to prosecution, if he failed to return to serve the rest of his sentence following his spinal cord surgery. 

Mentally strong

After a tense back and forth over conditions, the government finally agreed late Monday (18) to let him leave. His aides said he had held extensive meetings with Western ambassadors in Colombo to discuss the political turmoil on the up market holiday island nation. Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Spokesman said: “He is physically a bit weak because he was in jail, but psychologically he is in good condition. “He said he is hopeful of political revival once he returns from the surgery. During his visits to Colombo and London, he is likely to meet a number of exiled party members who have left the country amid pressure by the government.”

The United States praised the temporary release of Nasheed and Secretary of State John Kerry tweeted: “Release of Mohamed Nasheed is step in the right direction. Urge more engagement from the Government of Maldives on democracy, shared challenges.”

Meanwhile, Clooney last week condemned President Abdullah Yameen’s administration and said Nasheed’s case showed that democracy is ‘dead in the Maldives.’

Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon last week rejected Clooney’s criticism. Defending the Maldives, popular for its pristine beaches, scuba diving and high-end tourism, Maumoon said Clooney had ‘spun a compelling tale’ but it was not true. Nasheed was ousted in disputed circumstances in 2012 for ordering the arrest of a judge. His conviction was condemned by United Nations, the United States and human rights groups as politically motivated.

The Maldives Government said Nasheed was travelling under what diplomatic sources described as a deal brokered by India, Sri Lanka and Britain.

- Mail Online