The government has decided to extend the deadline for the Ombudsperson’s Office for Transitional Justice (OTJ) to complete its investigations.
OTJ is nearing its deadline and is yet to complete many of its investigations. The spokesperson at the President’s Office Miuvaan Mohamed said the decision has been made to extend the deadline and the exact date will be announced later.
OTJ was established in 2020 to investigate 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 OTJ 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.
OTJ received 488 cases since opening the opportunity to submit cases from June to August 2021 and has accepted 452 cases. The most high-profile case being investigated by OTJ is the case of human rights violations that occurred during the depopulation of Thinadhoo, Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll in 1962.