The legal team for young opposition activist Aishath Shimon has called on authorities to investigate the leak of a private photo while her phone was held by the police.
In a statement, lawyers strongly condemned the disclosure of personal information, which was only accessible through the seized device.
The legal team demanded six things:
- An independent, transparent investigation into the circumstances of the seizure of the phone and the subsequent leak of personal data in the phone. This must include a verifiable digital forensic analysis of the incident and all persons with access to the device while it was in police custody.
- Public disclosure of the full warrant and the legal basis upon which the phone was confiscated, including chain of custody documentation.
- Full accountability for those involved in the leak, up to and including disciplinary or legal action, for the litany of crimes, including the proliferation of child sexual material, committed by all parties involved.
- Immediate review and reform of police protocols regarding the seizure, storage, and handling of personal devices, private data, and sensitive evidence.
- Immediate measures to ensure that mismanagement of seized property does not happen again, with transparent reporting mechanisms for evidence and seized assets.
- To immediately cease politically motivated persecution and the gross misuse of state apparatus toward silencing opposition and dissent.
The statement said the 20-year-old activist's photo was leaked less than 24 hours after police seized the phone.
"The absurdity with which the Police have conducted themselves in this case further confirms that the accusation against Ms. Ahmed was fabricated and unfounded to begin with," it added.
"The sequence of events, from stopping Ms Ahmed and the subsequent search and seizure of her phone, followed by a “portrayal” of an ongoing investigation clearly indicate that the whole case was politically motivated from the start."
The statement also highlighted multiple police negligence cases in the recent months, including missing dollars from the evidence room, leaking of a crime scene video involving minors and the leaking of private videos of a second female opposition activist while her phone was held by the police.
On Sunday evening, Shimon was summoned to the police station and informed that there was no longer any accusation against her.
Police also returned her phone. Data from the phone showed that police had spent the majority of the time accessing photo applications on the device.
