Ombudsperson’s Office for Transitional Justice (OTJ) has scheduled a focus group discussion on the case of the late President Mohamed Amin Didi for August 29.
OTJ stated the focus group discussion is being held to provide accurate information about the end of the reign of the first president of the Maldives. The focus group discussions are formal proceedings held as a form of additional procedure, to obtain information needed for investigations or to allow those associated with a specific case to voice out their thoughts and experiences.
OTJ stated the purpose of the focus group session is to create a public platform for relevant individuals to bring their voices into accounts of how the tenure of President Amin ended and the events that lead to the collapse of his administration. The information to be collected during the discussion will be narrations by the most prominent people who have knowledge of the issue. The information will help OTJ to create an official account of the event which later can be used for its final report and as a source for a recommendation for the non-recurrence of such human rights violations.
Furthermore, OTJ stated the discussion will aid to bring legitimate information to the public and its authenticity regarding the claimed events. The focus group discussion will focus on the history of Mohamed Amin Didi from January 1, 1953, to January 19, 1954. In addition, participants for the focus group discussion concerning his cases will be carried out with selected people who were connected to the case and based upon documents and evidence people who have been identified in the matter as relevant.
Mohamed Amin Didi served as the President from January 1, 1953, to August 21, 1953, and died on January 19, 1954, in Vihamanaa Fushi.