2 August 2017, MALE’: The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s Youth Wing condemns in the strongest terms the lack of police action in response to a killing spree this week that saw two young men, aged 24 and 25, stabbed to death.

Maldives Police Service has failed to arrest the perpetrators of these heinous crimes thus far.

Prior to these two murders, young men were also knifed near the Supreme Court—one of the most heavily guarded institutions in the country. The attacks took place near Alcyon Bakery in the Maafannu district and at Villingili Ferry Terminal. The Villingili Ferry Terminal is a public area frequented by hundreds of people on a daily basis. Furthermore, a young couple were attacked in their own home earlier this week.

Given that the Maldives Police Service has demonstrated remarkable capacity and capability in using its intelligence department to prevent political activities organised by the opposition, the MDP’s Youth Wing is shocked that the MPS failed to gather the necessary intelligence to prevent, or solve, these crimes. What is even more disappointing is the fact that police have taken no visible steps to ensure residents and visitors to Male’ are protected or made to feel safe following these violent crimes.

While over MVR 1.3 billion of the people’s tax money is spent on the MPS every year, the institution has failed to maintain public safety as mandated by Article 244 of the Constitution. Instead, the institution has been turned into a politicized security wing of the ruling party that functions merely to curb political dissent.

While the above mentioned crimes were being committed, MPS was preoccupied with removing parliamentarians from the Majlis to block a no confidence vote against the Speaker, cracking down on opposition protests and ransacking the MDP’s campaign centre.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Parliament has obstructed the efforts of the opposition to look into the rise in gang violence and murders, including the murder of blogger and human rights defender, Yameen Rasheed, and the disappeared Maldives Independent journalist, Ahmed Rilwan.

The MDP’s Youth Wing calls on the MPS to stop wasting its resources on preventing peaceful political activity, and urges the institution to prevent violent crime, conduct a credible and impartial investigation into the crimes that have created fear in the capital and undermined people’s sense of safety and security.

ENDS