Five senior opposition leaders who were arrested while sitting down at the Republic Square were summoned to the police on Monday and accused of trying to protest illegally at the green zone.
The leaders of the Progressive Party of Maldives-People's National Congress (PPM-PNC) coalition were arrested on Thursday evening by Special Operations (SO) police. They were released shortly thereafter on the condition that they appear for questioning.
They were summoned at different times on Monday.
- Mahibadhoo MP Ahmed Thorig - 10 am
- Maduvvari MP Adam Shareef, PNC vice president - 11 am
- Maavah MP Mohamed Saeed, PNC vice president - 12 pm
- Naifaru MP Ahmed Shiyam, PPM vice president - 1 pm
- Hulhumale' councilor Ibrahim Shujau - 4 pm
Shiyam said the police accused them of disobeying orders, obstructing police duties and trying to protest at the green zone.
Shiyam denied the allegations.
"We didn't gather people and try to protest. We were expressing our views and talking to each other. And we got up as soon as the police ordered and cooperated when the police took us and put us in the jeep," Shiyam said.
The police could not order them to leave while sitting down and talking at the Republic Square, Shiyam said.
The opposition leaders sat down at the Republic Square to call for the release of the coalition's presidential candidate and former President Abdulla Yameen.
The Elections Commission (EC) started accepting applications to contest in the presidential election on Sunday with a deadline of the afternoon on August 7. Yameen is barred from contesting over an 11-year prison sentence.
The appeal of his verdict has stalled at the High Court after a judge took a leave of absence. Yameen is also on trial over alleged corruption in the leasing of Raa Fuggiri and hearings are ongoing at the lower court.
The Supreme Court was also petitioned to ensure Yameen's electoral rights. But the court's registrar rejected the case.
The PPM-PNC leadership has been refusing to speak publicly about fielding an alternative candidate if Yameen is unable to contest. There are disagreements among the leadership about potential candidates or the PPM contesting in the election.
The leadership of the PPM-PNC, which has about 40,000 members, has been insisting that Yameen should have the right to contest.
