Arrested MP Gasim Ibrahim and Leader of JP condemn the government’s disabling of the Maldives Parliament and attempt to make a rubber stamp of the Law making body of the country

The Maldives Parliament has been unable to function as some of the most prominent leaders remain under arrest while the supporters of the ruling regime day and night are calling to arrest many others belonging to the different opposition parties.
Today; Gasim Ibrahim under house arrest, he and his family surrounded by President and his party protestors stated that no amount of intimidation will make him bow down to the President and let him make a rubber stamp of the Maldives Parliament.
The Protestors supporting the government are allowed everywhere, in the capital Male’ heavily guarded by the Maldives Military and the Police Force. However any attempt by the opposition MP’s supporters to dissent against their arrest is cut short by mass arrests. Therefore since the Cabinet resigned and the consecutive Mps’ arrest; everywhere the government supporters including the Ministers are the only one out protesting, mostly defaming the opposition parties and MP’s, threatening to blast the current Parliament and charge all the opposition MP’s with corruption.
The Government supporters led by the Cabinet Ministers that resigned are threatening MP’s that they have not being able to buy and they are allowed, to stage protests any time; anywhere they like, even though many islands are under a state issued curfew.
The one sided drama of the government agents that gives freedom and rights to the government officials and supporters alone are also allowed to conduct violent protests outside the residences of opposition MP’s and the Courts while supporters with alternative views too scared even to come out are staying indoors to avoid getting beaten up or arrested by the Police and the Military guards.
The two leaders under house arrest have their mobile phones tapped for months, by the government sources, and now they have leaked bits of telephone conversations they have with their employees and close co-parliament members. Many of the leaked conversations are then put on government sponsored websites and U-tube, and also are used to prolong their house arrest by 15 more days.
Government extremists are influencing the Court’s as they have a permanent group outside the Court without any intervention from the Police and Military, defaming the members staging violent disruptive portests.
Maldives is now a specimen example of what life is like when a dictator seeks Military rule and use all government resources to not only stay in power, but also use it to diminish and demoralise an entire nation that do not agree with him while also use it to bring the function of the Legislature to a standstill and control the Judiciary.
The Parliament unable to conduct any more session has put a Permanent hold on it‘s functions, while the Judiciary filled with judges who the President is threatening not to nominate in the upcoming nomination of the new Judiciary are signing arrest warrants of MP‘s and prolonging their detention. Similarly the President’s spokesperson claming that they have bought air time using a contingency budget allocated by them for the purpose in the President’s office is broadcasting government sponsored propaganda through all available broadcasting and media sources.
We call on the government to end this serious resort to dictatorship and immediately release Honourable Gasim Ibrahim, as well as Honourable Abdulla Yamin and let the Maldives Parliament to resume its function without his influence.