Malé, Maldives – Amnesty International on Friday shared concerns at the visuals of the government crackdown on peaceful protestors and journalists in the Maldives during the recent “India Out” rallies.
Amnesty also raised alarms at the recent presidential “decree restricting the right to protest in the country in the pretext of containing threats to national security posed by the “India Out” campaign.”
The human rights movement tweeted this following a video circulating on social media of a Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) soldier in camouflage chasing a young female protestor on a Malé road. Several media have also reported a Maldives police officer threatening journalists in repeated instances for covering opposition rallies.
Excessive use of force against protestors must be condemned and promptly and impartially investigated.
Amnesty International urged “the Maldivian authorities to ensure that any restriction on the right to peaceful protest and freedom of expression is proportionate, necessary, and provided by law.”
