MALE, Maldives (AP) – A former president of the Maldives was convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison after a quick and disputed trial that raised fears of more instability in the Indian Ocean nation.
A three-judge panel ruled Friday that Mohamed Nasheed, the country’s first democratically elected president, issued an illegal order to detain a senior judge in 2012 while in office.
Nasheed has denied ordering the arrest. His supporters say the charges are aimed at eliminating him as a challenger against incumbent President Yameen Abdul Gayoom in the 2018 presidential election.
In anticipation of a ruling against him, Nasheed issued a public statement earlier Friday asking his supporters “to be courageous and confront the dictatorial powers,” and change the government. He also asked them to “not be afraid of being arrested or facing a long sentence … and go out onto the streets in protest.”
Nasheed’s defense lawyers pulled out of the case in the middle of the trial, accusing the court of rushing the hearings and not allowing them enough time to prepare.