Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has stated it is monitoring the actions taken by authorities and institutions over the terrorist attack on May 6 against Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed.
HRCM made the statement after Chair of the “May 6 Committee” of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Parliamentarian Hassan Afeef criticised HRCM’s lack of action over the attack. Speaking at a meeting of MDP’s national assembly, Afeef said he is not sure if HRCM has even released a statement condemning the attack. He questioned whether HRCM has fulfilled its responsibilities over the May 6 attack.
In a press statement, HRCM said the commission has been closely monitoring the situation over the attack since the day the attack happened. As such, HRCM said a team from the commission had visited ADK Hospital immediately after Speaker Nasheed was brought to hospital for treatment of his injuries, adding the team had closely observed the situation that night.
HRCM further said an official statement was released by the commission the next day, condemning the attack and stating that the commission would closely monitor the level of action taken by relevant authorities following the attack. HRCM said the commission continues to monitor the actions taken by relevant authorities, noting the commission has sought information from Male’ City Council, Maldives Police Service (MPS), Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Defence on the course of action taken since the attack.
In the statement, HRCM expressed concern over the false information being spread in relation to the work undertaken by the commission. HRCM urged all individuals and organisations to seek the necessary information from the commission before speaking to the public regarding the commission’s work.
The “May 6 Committee” was established by MDP to watch over the investigation into the terrorist attack against Speaker Nasheed. The committee has started efforts to inform party’s members on the situation surrounding Speaker Nasheed and the investigation of the attack against him.