Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has stated efforts are underway to bring back four Maldivian children who have been detained in a prison in Afghanistan.
The four children detained in Afghanistan are the children of Ali Shafiu and his wife, who were arrested in 2018 while linking up with a militant organisation. Both are serving a 21-year prison sentence in Afghanistan, while their children have been held in prison with them.
HRCM stated discussions are ongoing with the relevant international bodies to facilitate a way back to the Maldives for the four children. HRCM said efforts to bring back the children had begun when their parents were first detained in Afghanistan, noting the government of Afghanistan had also provided cooperation to the efforts to repatriate the children. However, the commission said efforts were suspended when the family refused to bring them back.
HRCM said efforts to bring back the children have resumed once again after discussing it further with the family, as four innocent children are being held in prison for a crime they did not commit. Noting the family has now agreed to bring them back, HRCM said it is coordinating efforts with local authorities to facilitate the return of the children. However, the commission noted there are difficulties in bringing the children back due to the current COVID-19 situation as well as other complications.
HRCM further stated a humanitarian organisation of Afghanistan had visited the children in prison upon request of HRCM. The commission said efforts are also ongoing to relocate the children to a safer place until they can be brought back to the Maldives, although these efforts have also been hindered by the situation in Afghanistan.
The story of Ali Shafiu and his family went viral on social media this week after his family accused Maldives Police Service (MPS) of collaborating with Afghan police to torture the family. However, MPS has denied these claims.