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Attack on Ex-Maldives’ President Shows Cost of Impunity

Bombing Exposes Dangers from Extremists, Corrupt Politicians

The attempted assassination on May 6, 2021, of Mohamed Nasheed, the former Maldivian president and current speaker of parliament, highlights the grave risks posed by extremist groups who enjoy political protection. Nasheed, who became the Maldives…
Maldivian police officers secure the area following a blast in Male, Maldives, Thursday, May 6, 2021. Maldives' first democratically elected president and current Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed has been injured in a blast Thursday near his home and was being treated in a hospital in the capital, police said. (
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Maldives Advances Media Freedom, But Long Way to Go

Repeal Remaining Repressive Laws, Investigate Attacks

After years of ignominy as one of the worst countries in Asia for media freedom, the Maldives has risen to 72nd place in the latest rankings of the World Press Freedom Index, up from 120th place three years ago. That improvement reflects how far the…
Relatives of disappeared Maldivian journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla hold a silent protest during International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, holding signs.
News

South Asia’s Women’s Rights Activists Should Be Heard

International Women’s Day Should Prompt Real Reforms

As 2020 drew to a close, protesters across South Asia took to the streets, calling on their governments to take widespread sexual violence against women and children seriously, and to implement real reforms. But rather than listening to experts and…
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Maldives: Pandemic Response Exposes Inequities, Abuse

Government Failed to Protect Rights Groups, Migrant Workers

(New York) – The Maldives authorities responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by cracking down on peaceful protests and compounding threats to migrant workers and other vulnerable groups, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2021. President…
Security personnel patrol an accommodation block where Bangladeshi migrant workers are being quarantined after Covid-19 cases were found in the area, Malé, Maldives, May 9, 2020.
News

South Asia: Justice, Services Can Curb Sexual Violence

Death Penalty Push Ignores Real Solutions to Regional Failings

(New York) – South Asian governments should disregard populist death penalty rhetoric and listen to their own experts to prevent and end sexual violence against women, Human Rights Watch said in a video released today. Experts on sexual violence from…
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South Asia: Justice, Services Can Curb Sexual Violence

(New York) – South Asian governments should disregard populist death penalty rhetoric and listen to their own experts to prevent and end sexual violence against women, Human Rights Watch said in a video released today. Experts on sexual violence from…
News

Asian Nations Reject UN Vote Against Death Penalty

11 Asia-Pacific Governments Oppose 120 States on Capital Punishment Moratorium

(Bangkok) – Eleven countries from the Asia-Pacific region were among the small minority that voted against a United Nations resolution opposing the death penalty, Human Rights Watch said today. On November 17, 120 UN member states voted in favor of a…
A view of the United Nations General Assembly, at UN headquarters, October 1, 2018.
News

Maldives: Covid-19 Exposes Abuse of Migrants

Overhaul System to Protect Foreign Workers at All Times

(New York) – The harsh treatment of foreign workers in the Maldives during the Covid-19 pandemic has left many migrants vulnerable to abuse, Human Rights Watch said today. The Maldives government should adopt urgent measures to protect migrant workers…
Security personnel patrol a migrant worker accommodation block under quarantine for Covid-19, Malé, Maldives, May 9, 2020.
News

Maldives: Migrants Arrested for Protesting Abuses

Officials Claim National Security to Justify Mistreating Foreign Workers

(New York) – The Maldives police have detained more than 80 migrant workers in July for protesting unpaid wages, inhumane living conditions, and labor rights violations, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should drop charges and release…
Migrant workers weigh scrap metal, Thilafushi, Maldives.
News

Maldives: Free Speech, Assembly Under Threat

Broad Restrictions on Protests Violate Rights

(New York) – The Maldives government is enforcing restrictions on protests that violate fundamental rights, Human Rights Watch said today. New regulations also threaten civil society groups for supporting peaceful protests. Migrant workers who…
Foreign workers from Bangladesh gather in an alleyway of an accommodation block after being put under quarantine to contain the spread of Covid-19, May 9, 2020 in Male, Maldives. 
News

Maldives: Extremist Groups Threaten Rights Activists

Uphold Free Expression; Investigate Violent Attacks

(New York) –Groups that endorse violent ultra-nationalist or Islamist ideology have tried to shut down a leading women’s rights organization in the Maldives since mid-June 2020, and have threatened other activist groups, Human Rights Watch said today…
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Migrant Workers in Maldives at Added Risk from COVID-19

Authorities Should Ensure All Have Access to Health Care

The global spread of infectious diseases is inevitable in an age of international travel, globalization, and shared economies. Even a small island nation offers no protection, as the Maldives has discovered with the COVID-19 outbreak. According…
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Maldives: Protect Mangroves From Further Loss

Tree Destruction Exacerbates Flooding Threatening Islanders

(New York) – The Maldives government should preserve a mangrove forest that helps protect local residents against increased risks from flooding and coastal erosion, Human Rights Watch said today. A large portion of the mangrove forest…
Mangroves in Haa Alifu Atoll, Maldives.
News

Maldives: Rights Reforms Falter

Despite Pledges, Government Fails to Protect Journalists, Activists

(New York) – The Maldives government began to address longstanding human rights concerns in 2019, but yielded to pressure from extremist religious groups to crack down on free expression, Human Rights Watch said today in its World…
Maldives’ former President Mohamed Nasheed and current President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih take part in an election rally ahead of parliamentary polls, Malé, February 1, 2019.
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Reckless Development Worsens Maldives’ Environmental Crisis

Government Disregards Concerns of Local Communities

To most of the world, the Maldives are a tempting tourist destination, with over 1,192 islands of coral reefs and pristine beaches. But the Maldivian government has long ignored its own environmental regulations and the needs…
Flooded streets in Haadhaal Kulhudhuffushi, Maldives on December 1, 2019.
News

Maldives: Human Rights Group Shut Down

(New York) – The Maldives government, on October 10, 2019, “temporarily” shut down the Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN), the country’s leading human rights organization, Human Rights Watch said today. The government…
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih interacts with supporters during a gathering in Malé, Maldives, September 24, 2018.
News

Hope for Justice for Murdered Journalist in the Maldives

Prosecute All Those Responsible for Killing, Cover-Up of Ahmed Rilwan

A government-appointed commission investigating deaths and enforced disappearances in the Maldives has corroborated long-held suspicions that criminal gang leaders planned and carried out the murder of journalist Ahmed Rilwan. The…
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News

Expressing Religious Views is Risky in the Maldives

Islamist Groups Threaten Outspoken College Chairman

Ibrahim Ismail, the chairman of Mandhu College in the Maldives and a former lawmaker, says he believes in debate rooted in facts and backed by citations, including over religion. But Ismail, better known as Ibra, recently discovered the…
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Maldives: Act on Human Rights Pledges

President Solih Should Reverse Abuses of Past Government

(New York) – The Maldives saw new hope for human rights improvements during late 2018 after joint opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih defeated President Yameen Abdul Gayoom by a wide margin in September, Human Rights Watch said…
Supporters of challenger Ibrahim Mohamed Solih celebrate his victory in the presidential election, Malé, Maldives, September 24, 2018.
News

Maldives: New Government Should Promote Rights

Letter to President Ibrahim Solih Highlights Key Areas

(New York) – The Maldives’ new government should make human rights protections a top priority, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih made public today. Solih, who was elected president on September 23,…
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih interacts with supporters during a gathering in Malé, Maldives, September 24, 2018.