Charles Tannock, author. – Mr President, I am deeply concerned about the worsening situation in the Maldives. President Abdulla Yameen and his government seem focused on increasing their authoritarian rule. Opposition leaders have been imprisoned, parliamentarians and journalists have been intimidated and threatened, and news organisations has been forced to close. All of this is deeply alarming.

Added to this are the plethora of new laws that limit the freedoms of speech and of assembly, and there is now an end to a 60-year moratorium on the use of the death penalty. This all exhibits a deeply worrying trend towards a politicised judiciary and police, and it cannot be ignored that the Maldives now tops the table in terms of the number of ISIS recruits per capita of population. It is also deeply regrettable that the Maldives took the decision to leave the Commonwealth in 2016, demonstrating Yameen’s unwillingness to cooperate with international partners.

We must now urge Yameen to uphold his country’s constitution, to protect democratic rights and to restore fundamental freedoms in line with international law and conventions. All political prisoners held on fabricated charges should be released, and the Presidential elections in 2018 should be free, fair and inclusive. It is vital for the future of the Maldives and its people that freedoms of assembly and expression are upheld for all.