The President's Office has ordered the presidential commission formed by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to investigate unresolved murders and abductions to not disclose any findings or investigation reports without permission.
Six domestic and international organizations released a statement on Tuesday calling for the disclosure of the findings. The signatories included Association for Democracy in the Maldives (ADM), We Are Yaamyn, Maldives Journalists Association (MJA), Transparency Maldives (TM), Human Rights Watch (HRW), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other NGOs.
The civil society network Coalition for Open Governance met the Deaths Commission on May 7 and was informed that it has been ordered to only share findings with the President's Office. The commission said it would not publicly disclose any information.
A senior government official has also confirmed to Adhadhu that the President's Office instructed the commission to not disclose any findings without its permission. The commission was not available for comment.
No legal obstacle
"Withholding information about the findings of the investigations violates multiple human rights of the victims’ families, including the right to information and the right to access to justice," the three-page statement read.
There is no obstacle under the Presidential Commissions Act to disclose the information, the statement read. The families and civil society groups also agreed to a redacted report to protect witnesses, it added.
The Deaths Commission did not respond to questions seeking to clarify which specific provision of the law prevents the disclosure of information, the families and civil society groups said. Instead, the Deaths Commission said it would submit findings to the President "as instructed."
"It was implied to us that a redacted report will be shared with the affected families. The last-minute decision not to do so is unacceptable. It is our only avenue for justice. We have always extended our support to DDCom [Commission on Deaths and Disappearances] throughout the years, but the DDCom has not only failed in their legal duties but in their moral duties to the truth as well. We are left with nothing,” blogger Yameen Rasheed's sister Aishath Rasheed said in the statement.
The reasons for the commission's failure to produce results despite spending millions from the state budget and international aid must be explained to the Maldivian people, the statement read.
The civil society groups also called on President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to ensure that the information is revealed in line with his campaign pledge for a transparent government.
The NGOs expressed concern because the commission is due to be dissolved at the end of this month.
In a statement released later on Tuesday, the Deaths Commission said it would seek permission from the President's Office to publish investigation reports after redacting information for legal reasons.
"Most of the information included in these reports are very sensitive and confidential. The commission's aim is to compile the report with those parts redacted before May 31. The presidential commissions law states that all the reports must be submitted to the President," the commission said.
History of the cases
The Deaths Commission previously released a report on the abduction of journalist Ahmed Rilwan. The report included information previously gathered by police. The commission did not release a report on Yameen's murder.
The previous government arrested three suspects in connection with the cases. After they were charged with terrorism and detained for a long period, the Criminal Court cited insufficient evidence to proceed to trial and dismissed the charges.
Minivan News journalist Rilwan was abducted on August 7, 2014. The presidential commission said at a press conference in September 2019 that Rilwan was killed and his body was sunk in the sea by Maldivians who belonged to the terrorist groups ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
Rilwan was killed in the name of religion after the group judged him to be an apostate, the presidential commission said. Rilwan was killed while he was reciting the shahadah [Islamic profession of faith], according to the commission.
Blogger Yameen was killed on April 23, 2017, while he was campaigning for justice over Rilwan's abduction. Two suspects were convicted over his murder.
