President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has reassured that efforts are ongoing to bring the perpetrators involved in the abduction and murder of journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla to justice. The President made the remarks in a video message broadcast during the Journalism Award Ceremony 2019 hosted by the Maldives Media Council (MMC).
In his message, the President noted at a time when a journalism award is being held, he can only recall the forced disappearance of journalist Ahmed Rilwan and the murder of Yameen Rasheed. In this regard, the President assured the work towards justice will continue, although bringing perpetrators to justice is proving to be challenging.
Ahmed Rilwan, who was working as a journalist for Minivan News, has been missing since August 8, 2014. The findings of Presidential Commission on Investigation of Murders and Enforced Disappearances (DDCom) into the case, which were released last year, indicate he was abducted and murdered. However, no charges have been pressed due to the lack of sufficient credible evidence.
DDCom has brought a foreign investigator to the Maldives to probe into Rilwan’s disappearance.