Opposition leaders in the Maldives urged the international community today to pressure President Abdulla Yameen into obeying a court order to free political prisoners and “restore democracy” to the troubled honeymoon islands.
Yameen’s regime has so far refused to release nine jailed dissidents and reinstate opposition lawmakers as ordered by the Maldives’ top court in a shock ruling last week that has deepened turmoil in the atoll nation.
The SC on Sunday asked Yameen to comply with its order, saying the dissidents must be released because their trials were politically motivated and flawed. In a letter addressed to the international community, Maldive Opposition lawmakers appealed for external support in persuading Yameen to end the tense standoff with the country’s highest court.