The President’s Office has revealed that Musthafa Hameed has been appointed as the Ombudsperson for Transitional Justice.
A new Ombudsperson for Transitional Justice was appointed after Mariyam Laiza resigned from the post on September 6. Musthafa was previously an investigator at the Technical Support Department of the Ombudsperson’s Office for Transitional Justice (OOTJ). He has achieved a bachelor’s degree in Shariah and Law and is attaining a master’s degree in Islamic Judicial Sciences and Shariah Policy at the Islamic University of Maldives (IUM). He has also completed a training programme in juvenile justice.
OOTJ was established following the ratification of the Transitional Justice Act on December 17, 2020. It functions as an autonomous legal identity vested with powers to communicate, file a lawsuit or receive court charges under the Transitional Justice Act. The act sanctions investigations into past wrongdoings by state authorities, heads of agencies, or individuals in power, which resulted in human rights violations.
The eligibility timeframe for cases that may be investigated by OOTJ runs from January 1, 1953, until November 17, 2018. OOTJ is tasked with completing the investigation of its cases within two years and submitting the charges to the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) or the Attorney General's Office (AGO) if required.