Merlin to provide assistance in Sheeria locality of South Darfur
|
Jailed Maldivian protesters vow to fast to death
09 Nov 2004 14:06:40 GMT
Source: Reuters
|
COLOMBO, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Six Maldivians jailed for nearly three months without charge for protesting against the Islamic island cluster's autocratic ruler vowed on Tuesday to fast to death unless they are released, an exiled opposition figure said. The group includes two members of a special constitutional assembly entrusted with implementing a raft of political reforms promised by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Asia's longest-serving leader, in the face of stiff criticism of the Indian Ocean resort nation's poor human rights record. "They will continue (the hunger strike) until an amicable solution can be found with the government," said Mohamed Nasheed, a spokesman for the Maldivian Democratic Party, which is based in neighbouring Sri Lanka and effectively banned in the Maldives. "They are ready to fast unto death," he added, saying that the six were suffering from dehydration and had asked their wives to prepare their wills. The hunger strike began last week. Ten other prisoners have partially joined the protest, eating only dates -- which Muslims traditionally eat to break their fast during the month of Ramadan. The Maldivian government was not immediately available for comment. Gayoom, who has been in power for 26 years, cracked down on an unprecedented anti-government protest in August with truncheons and teargas, jailing hundreds of people, many of whom were held for weeks without charge before finally being released. The heavy-handed arrests prompted European Parliament calls for sanctions on the Maldivian government, which is accused of endemic human rights abuses and systematic torture. In the wake of a riot late last year, Gayoom promised to limit the term of the presidency, allow opposition parties to form and operate, appoint a prime minister, separate powers and strengthen the judiciary. But his opponents are sceptical that the reforms will ever be enacted in the idyllic chain of 1,200 tiny islands and white sand atolls best known as a honeymooners' paradise.
|
|
|
Reset