The Criminal Court has dismissed charges raised against Ismail Abdul Raheem (Isu) and Ahmed Muaz (Gatu Mua) in connection with the abduction of journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla and the murder of blogger Yameen Rasheed.

The evidence submitted in the case was deemed insufficient to proceed to trial based on the civil standard of a balance of probabilities, the Criminal Court informed Adhadhu.

The court also ordered the removal of electronic tags attached to their ankles for surveillance.

Terrorism charges had also been raised against Ahmed Ismail (Buru Ahandhu) in the same case. But the court decided there was no evidence to proceed to trial.

Pre-trial hearings at the Criminal Court were closed to the media and the public.

The deaths

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.

Suspects were previously arrested and charged with terrorism after the police investigation into Rilwan's abduction from Hulhumale'. They were Aalif Rauf, Mohamed Nooradeen and Mohamed Suaid.

Of the three, Aalif and Nooradeen were released after their arrest. After Suaid was released, he left the country and was rumored to have been killed while fighting in Syria. No official agency has confirmed this. But the family informed the criminal court that he was dead.

The suspects prosecuted over Yameen's murder were Ismail Haisham Rasheed, Ahmed Zihan Ismail, Mohamed Dhifraan, Hassan Shifaz, Ismail Rasheed and Hussain Ziyad. They were charged with premeditated murder with a sharp object.

Only Haisham and Zihan were found guilty. The lower court's acquittals of Ismail Rasheed and Mohamed Dhifran were appealed at the high court. It was decided not to appeal the acquittals of the other two.

After assuming office, former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih formed a presidential commission to investigate unresolved murders. The three suspects charged with terrorism were arrested after the commission's investigation last year.