Presidential Commission on Investigating Murders and Enforced Disappearances (DDCom) has denied claims it has discontinued murder investigations.
DDCom issued a statement after Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed announced during the parliament sitting on June 22 that the commission has informed the Parliament of the Maldives that murder investigations have been discontinued due to difficulties in acquiring evidence.
DDCom stated a letter was submitted to the parliament to provide an update on the progress of the investigations. The commission said although the challenges faced in pursuing evidence related to the cases under investigation was noted in the letter, it did not say the investigations have been discontinued.
The parliament speaker made the statement on DDCom while speaking in relation to a question posed by Parliamentarian Mohamed Aslam to Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Ahmed Zahir Ali on measures imposed to prevent the planning of murders and violence inside mosques, as stated in the report published by DDCom. After the minister responded to the question, the speaker announced that DDCom has notified the parliament that the murder investigations have been discontinuted, citing the obstruction of investigations due to the draft report being made public.
Speaking further, Speaker Nasheed expressed discontent over the failure to press charges against the perpetrators of the investigated murders, despite the inclusion of their details in the draft report. He also noted DDCom was not able to find the individuals who instigated and funded the murders, instead focusing only on those who carried out the murders.
DDCom had earlier submitted the draft report on the murders of former parliamentarian and religious scholar Dr. Afrasheem Ali, journalist Ahmed Rilwan and blogger Yameen Rasheed. DDCom also forwarded charges against perpetrators of the 3 murders, before the Prosecutor General's Office sent back the charges, claiming the investigations were inadequate. The commission informed in January that the revised investigation report was nearing completion.
DDCom was formed by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on November 17, 2018. The commission was initially headed by Husnu Suood, before he resigned from the commission in December 2019 after being appointed as judge at the Supreme Court of the Maldives.