Abbas Faiz, the Special Envoy to the Government of the Maldives to monitor the investigation, prosecution and trial of the terrorist attack against Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed on May 6, 2021, has called for renewed efforts to expedite the trials of the attack.
In a statement released on the one-year anniversary of the attack, Special Envoy Abbas Faiz expressed great admiration for the resilience of Speaker Nasheed in the face of the May 6 attack against him, noting his recovery is a gift to the human rights and civil society communities in the Maldives and beyond. The special envoy also thanked President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih for the support extended towards the implementation of the special envoy’s mandate, noting it has enabled independent, extensive and detailed assessments of the investigation, prosecution and trials of the May 6 attack.
In his statement, Special Envoy Faiz stated the investigation of the attack itself and that of the financial footprints of the accused have been conducted in line with international best practice. As, such, he said the investigation team has succeeded in gathering the information needed to build strong cases. However, he noted there are legitimate concerns that the attack was planned and executed with encouragement and financial support from outside the current circle of suspects, adding an investigation into wider links and financial motives of the attackers remains crucial in order to yield positive results.
Furthermore, Special Envoy Faiz said the trials of the accused have not kept pace with the time bound momentum of the investigation and prosecution. The special envoy noted long trial delays of this kind could have the negative impact of eroding confidence in the criminal justice system. He added expectations that the May 6 attack trials need to be expedited are legitimate because of the far-reaching impact of this criminal act on society, social harmony and political health of the country.
Concluding his statement, the special envoy said the concerns regarding the May 6 attack trials have been shared with the Chief Justice and the members of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). He called for renewed efforts towards ensuring that these trials take place without further delays.
Maldives Police Service (MPS) arrested a total of 9 people in relation to the May 6 attack. The prime suspect of the attack, Ahmed Adhuham Rasheed, was sentenced to 23 years in prison after he was found guilty of detonating the IED by remote in an attempt to assassinate Speaker Nasheed. The trials of the remaining suspects are still ongoing.