Police have snatched a young political activist's mobile phone in an act described as targeted harassment to silence dissenting voices.
Aishath Shimon Ahmed, 20, was cornered near her home in Male' late on Wednesday night, where officers snatched the phone without showing a warrant.
Police refused to explain why her phone was snatched and initially did not comply with demands to see a court warrant for its seizure.
But they later showed the warrant and accused Shimon of posting on social media to threaten President Mohamed Muizzu.
The order states that an account run by Shimon had allegedly made comments that could lead to Muizzu's assassination.
The court issued two orders against Shimon. The first one was for search and seizure of the mobile device and the second requiring her to share passwords and access to apps.
The orders were issued based on a police intelligence report.
Earlier this year, Shimon was arrested and charged in connection with youth protests demanding justice for a young girl found with injuries on a roof in Male'.
She was charged under Section 532 of the Penal Code which states that it is an offense to intentionally prevent or obstruct or a law enforcement officer.
The basic punishment for the offense is four months and 24 days in jail. The maximum penalty for the offense is one year in prison.
