Press release: Five Years Since MDN Arbitrarily De-registered.
- December 20, 2024
Maldives must heed the UN and reinstate MDN
We have now passed the five-year mark since the Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN) was arbitrarily de-registered and its funds seized by the Government of Maldives. The government took these actions following a politically motivated violent smear campaign that resulted in hundreds of death threats against MDN’s human rights defenders. Government officials involved in this grave violation of the right to freedom of association have not been held accountable domestically.
In July 2024, the UN Human Rights Committee concluded that the Maldives should reinstate the registration of MDN and return its funds without delay. We remain committed to human rights, democracy, and good governance, fighting impunity in exile. We call on Member States and civil society to hold the government accountable for its violations against MDN.
The Islamic Ministry urged the Maldives Police Service to seek the death penalty against the four authors of the report in October 2019 without any criminal process establishing guilt. The Ministry unilaterally presumed that MDN’s 2015 report was blasphemous. The unlawful actions of the Solih government legitimised accusations initially made by violent non-state actors whilst further increasing the risk of violence. To date, the police have not thoroughly investigated those who incited violence and hatred.
In September 2020, MDN’s founder filed a case in the Civil Court, challenging the legality of the government’s actions. The Attorney General used the Islamic Ministry’s abrupt and baseless decision as evidence. In its 2023 ruling favouring the deregistration of MDN, the Civil Court failed to address the procedural irregularities which formed the basis of the claim. The case now awaits an appeal hearing at the High Court.
MDN, the longest-serving human rights organisation in the Maldives, was formed in August 2004 in response to widespread arbitrary detention and torture of protestors resisting decades of authoritarianism in the country. The arbitrary deregistration came as a final attempt to silence MDN after years of harassment, intimidation and attacks.
ENDS.