The Adhaalath Party condemned the harassment of the vice president of its council of religious scholars during a street protest on Wednesday by opposition activists calling for the release of former president Abdulla Yameen.
A video of protesters confronting and harassing Dr. Mohamed Iyaz emerged on social media.
It shows the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives-People's National Congress (PPM-PNC) activists obstructing Iyaz as he drove west on Majeedhee Magu towards the social center and harassing him using obscene language and derogatory names. Opposition activists could be heard calling Dr. Iyaz a "big infidel" in the video.
The Adhaalath Party condemned the harassment by protesters calling for the release of former president Yameen, who is serving an 11-year prison sentence after he was convicted of accepting and laundering a USD 1 million bribe to lease Vaavu Aarah.
Characterizing the harassment as lowly acts, Adhaalath Party spokesman Ali Nazeer condemned the incident in the harshest terms and said that the work of the party's religious scholars could not be stopped through such vile behavior.
"What this shows is that leaders of opposition parties are using ordinary members for their own benefit with plans to carry out acts that are against Islam, the law and societal behavioral norms," Ali Nazeer wrote on social media.
Iyaz, the chief judge and vice president of Adhaalath's council of scholars, faced criticism in the past over political statements.
While PPM activists confronted and harassed Iyaz on the street on Wednesday, the party's activists also obstructed the president's motorcade last March.
Five PPM members were arrested and some military officers were suspended over the incident.
The PPM-PNC coalition has been protesting outside the party office every night. But recently, the party's supporters have been taking to the streets of Male'. Protesters gathered near the President's Office on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
