Former Attorney General Ahmed Ali Sawad has condemned the police's use of sonic weapon against protestors on October 3 as it violates the Anti-Torture Act.
Police acquired the sonic weapon in 2013, but previous administrations did not use it against the people. It was earlier used as an alert for notices during protests.
But on the night of October 3, police used the sonic weapon continuously, for several minutes, at high volume.
In a post on social media X, Sawad said the use of sonic weapons is prohibited under the Anti-Torture Act as it causes "cruel inhuman treatment."
“[It was] an inhuman and illegal punishment for the demonstrators as well as all the people living in the area,” he stated.
Sawad called on the Prosecutor General (PG), Attorney General (AG) and the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) to investigate and hold the police accountable.
“No one has the right to illegally harm the people living in the area when people protest,” Sawad said.
"Only tyrannical rulers oppress the people."
A sonic weapon is a loud sound produced in a single rhythm using a long-range acoustic device (LRAD).
The police require a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the use of weapons. There are SOPs for the use of pepper spray, tear gas and batons.
However, police have not disclosed the SOP for the use of sonic weapons.
According to police regulations governing the acquisition, possession and use of weapons, a warning must be issued before a weapon is used.
It states that the police must specifically warn about the imminent use of the weapon before its use against any party. But no such warning was issued.
