The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) welcomes the call by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to grant clemency to President Mohamed Nasheed.

In a statement issued on Wednesday following a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dunya Maumoon, the Secretary-General further stated granting clemency to President Nasheed “would send a powerful signal to advance the dialogue process in good faith.”

The Secretary-General’s remarks comes a day after the Maldives Foreign Minister stated the government of Maldives rejected the findings of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

The MDP notes with great concern Maldives refusal to meet its international obligations and fears for the consequences the Maldives will face for its failure to adhere to international treaties ratified by the Maldives.

Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, MDP Spokesperson said:

“Maldives will be isolated in the international community for its decisions to keep President Nasheed and other political prisoners in jail through unfair judicial proceedings. We urge President Yameen to return back to democracy before its too late.”

ENDS