I will say Judge Abdullah Mohamed is arrested illegally even if I am crushed into pieces:: Kulhudhufushi PM Nasheed

Prominent lawyer and Kulhuduffushi South MP Mohamed Nasheed has said the Senior Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed is arrested by the Defence Force against the Constitution and he will say so even if he is crushed, cut into pieces. He said he will have to face bitter consequences of expressing such views as he experience the same earlier. The MP who was Information Minister and Legal Reform Minister in the former Government and who played a major part in the process of the new Constitution spoke for first time last night in the protest held by all opposition parties near MMA building to condemn the arrest of Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdulla Mohamed.

MP Nasheed speaking in the Protest to thundering applause said it was wrong for the Government to arrest the Judge and keep him arrested for the past 8 days against the Constitution and laws which clearly states how a judge or any person can be arrested. The Supreme Court has ordered to release the judge within hours of his arrest on 16 January. But the Government refuse to release him saying he was arrested for security reasons and in the interest of the integrity of the judiciary.Whether it is a Maldivian or foreigner living in the Maldives the laws must be applied when someone is arrested. There will be no complaints when arrests are done within the legal frame work.

Nasheed said Judge Abdulla's rights have been taken away and he has been treated without respect to his rights as given by the Constitution. There are criminals who have committed murder, who stab people on the road, who rape  and who kills and throws new born babies and such other crimes. And they have all been treated with respect and in accordance with laws. Why is that Judge Abdulla is treated this way without respecting his rights. What is the crime so big which he has committed, Nasheed asked.

Nasheed referred to some earlier cases filed by the Government and Majlis when Supreme Court had made its rulings some of them not favourable to them, but all those rulings were accepted by the Government and the Majlis and enforced. In one incident when the Supreme Court made an order against the Government, there was tears from President Nasheed  but he obeyed that order. He questioned why then the order of the Supreme Court is not been obeyed by the Government.

He explained from the Constitution that issuing orders against the Constitution is illegal and even obeying such orders is illegal for any one. No person shall obey such orders,  the armed forces or anyone. No person shall obey orders made against the Constitution, he stated.