Ombudsperson's Office for Transitional Justice (OTJ) has met with inmates who have registered to testify in the investigation into allegations of inhuman treatment in the prisons of the Maldives.
Regarding the case, OTJ said the hearings on the alleged inhuman acts and torture in prisons will not be open to the public. OTJ said a team visited Maafushi Prison on January 20 and met with the shortlisted inmates who had registered to testify at the hearings. The team met a total of 26 people regarding the case, stated OTJ.
Furthermore, OTJ noted the purpose of the meetings is to provide information to the people about the hearings that are closed and to assess their situation. The interim justice office also explained the information regarding the plea of no objection to giving statements at the hearings, the signing of the plea and the precautions to be taken by those giving statements.
The hearings on the alleged human rights violations, inhuman treatment, and torture in the prisons in the Maldives will be held in Maafushi Prison, Asseyri Prison, and Male' City, said OTJ. As such, statements will be taken from 37 people from Maafushi Prison, 11 statements from Male' and two statements from Asseyri Prison, revealed transitional justice office. In the hearings, OTJ will consider whether human rights and fundamental freedoms have been violated, whether there has been any act of torture, and the extent to which such acts have occurred.
OTJ 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 act also strengthens accountability mechanisms, provides a framework for redress and reparations for victims of the abuse of power, and outlines measures to avoid such abuses of authority in the future. The eligibility timeframe for cases that may be investigated according to the act runs from January 1, 1953, until November 17, 2018.