Protests spread across Maldives after crackdown

Thousands of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters, led by former president Mohamed Nasheed, took to the streets Wednesday evening to oppose what they claimed was an illegitimate government established Tuesday in a bloodless military coup. The protests have spread across the country including the southern Atoll of Addu, where Mayor Abdulla Sodig has been beaten by protesters and taken to the Addu regional hospital. Hithadhoo police academy has also been set on fire, along with approximately 18 vehicles used for training purposes, Minivan News reported. The political chaos was triggered Wednesday afternoon after Nasheed rallied MDP supporters, declaring that his resignation had been under duress and called for the freshly-appointed Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan to step down and call for elections. “Yes, I was forced to resign at gunpoint,” Mohamed Nasheed told foreign reporters after the rally. “There were guns all around me and they told me they wouldn’t hesitate to use them if I didn’t resign.” Nasheed’s supporters then clashed with police and military forces near Republic Square, and were repeatedly tear gassed by the police. Amid the clashes, a group of opposition demonstrators infiltrated the crowds, attacking MDP supporters. Former President Mohamed Nasheed, reported to be on the protest’s front lines, was among the injured, and received head injuries during the clashes. He was briefly taken under police custody before being released back into the crowd. MDP’s former Chairperson Maria Ahmed Didi was also seen “dragged away by her hair” – her whereabouts remain unknown – while MDP’s Chairperson Reeko Moosa Manik is reportedly in critical condition at ADK Hospital. Meanwhile, a Minivan News reporter was injured following what he described as a baton charge by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s ‘starforce’ officers. “They were beating old women with batons,” he said. “It was just like the old days.” There were unconfirmed reports that a woman had died, but so far no hospitals have confirmed this. Protests have meanwhile spread nationwide across the Maldives, including Addu City, with reports of islanders seizing police stations across the country. A police spokesperson confirmed that protesters had been injured. He could not confirm the number of people arrested. Meanwhile, MDP MP and parliamentary group leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih believed approximately 35 individuals had been admitted to IGMH, with one in the ICU. Hospital staff said several were in serious conditions. Solih claimed ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik was in serious condition with injuries to his stomach and back, while MP Mariya Didi was also seriously injured. Nasheed had been injured as well, but is being kept “in a secret location.” MPs Alhan Fahmy and Imthiyaz Fahmy, the party spokesperson, have been taken to jail, he added. The alleged coup arose out of three weeks of opposition-led protests calling for the release of Criminal Court Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed who was arrested on January 16 after attempting to block his own police summons. Protesters declared the arrest a violation of human rights while members of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s opposition Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) accused Nasheed of acting unlawfully. Following an all-night protest on February 6, under 100 police officers defected from their position as state security and assisted protesters in an attack on the then-ruling MDP camp, triggering a larger clash between police and Maldives National Defense Forces (MNDF) last morning which left many injured. Following Nasheed’s resignation Tuesday afternoon, former Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan was sworn into office the same day with the support of several opposition parties. He said he intends to fulfill Nasheed’s term until the scheduled presidential elections in 2013.