Malé, Maldives – Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) stated today that they are investigating the police brutality in dispersing youth grass root movement “Rise Up Movement” against sexual harassment at the workplace protest held last night, under the Anti-Torture law.
The peaceful protesters were dispersed with violent force by the Maldives Police leading to a public outcry.
The viral videos circulating on social media show police forcefully removing protesters from the protest and pepper spraying their faces. While this has caused an outrage among the citizens, HRCM showed concern about the police on their misuse of force.
HRCM stated that freedom of protest is every person’s right, and that all the citizens of Maldives deserve the right.
The actions by the police have also been condemned by the Maldives Media Council and Maldives Journalist Association (MJA) for police violence against media covering the youth protest.
Followed by multiple concerns from the citizens, the Commissioner of Police, Mohamed Hameed tweeted saying that he fully understands the concerns of the citizens and that he has ordered for a thorough investigation into the circumstances and the actions of the officers concerned by Professional Standards.
While one protester ended up at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) for the treatment of the injuries from the protest, some were taken into Police custody.
