Maldives - March 20th

The UN has directly condemned the outcome of former president Mohamed Nasheed's trial for terrorism charges. The decision came within weeks of Nasheed's surprise February 22nd arrest, and the UN special rapporteur argued that Nasheed's trial was highly suspicious, given the Maldives' troubled judiciary history. Additionally, Nasheed's lawyers resigned during the trial process. The Maldivian Criminal Court sentenced President Nasheed to 13 years in prison for "forcefully abducting" the then-Criminal Court Chief Judge of the Maldives in 2012.