Mohammed Nasheed, jailed for 13 years under anti-terrorism laws, on Sunday suffered another blow when the former Maldivian president’s appeal against his arrest order was dismissed by a court even as his party decided to launch a national civil disobedience campaign to secure his freedom.
The High Court threw out Nasheed’s appeal against his February 22 arrest as he refused to enter the courtroom for the first hearing of his appeal case in protest because his request to hold the hearing in public was rejected.
Nasheed, 47, who heads the Maldivian Democratic Party had appealed the arrest order issued by the Criminal Court against him. He was arrested and ordered to be detained until the end of his terror trial by the court, stating that he had a history of “evading courts.”
Before the hearing was scheduled to be held on Sunday, Nasheed’s legal team requested to hold an open and public hearing. However, only members of Nasheed’s legal team and family were allowed inside the courtroom. Nasheed then refused to enter the courtroom since the court had ignored his requests of an open hearing, Maldivian media reported.
Meanwhile, Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party has decided to launch a national civil disobedience campaign to free their imprisoned leader. A resolution passed at an MDP national council meeting declared the party does not accept the Criminal Court’s 13- year jail term against Nasheed. The terrorism conviction effectively bars Nasheed from presidential elections in 2018.