Essays and published full-length features about the Maldives. This is often serious stuff.
This is a companion video to the 5 February 2017 edition of the This Week in Maldives. Join me in conversation with Muju Naeem where we discuss Muizzu’s disabled parking zones, Vaguthu website, MDP’s internal democracy – and our disagreement over the niqab ban.
Below is a recording of a Skype conversation I had with Muju Naeem regarding Rilwan’s abduction and the #FindMoyameehaa campaign. We did this recording to mark the international Human Rights Day. In the video, I talk about Rilwan’s abduction and how the #FindMoyameehaa campaign came about. We also take a look at the systematic obstruction of justice, and the […]
Like many others, I also tuned in yesterday to catch the announcement in London of the “United Maldives Opposition” coalition. This new coalition, to be led by former VP Mohamed Jameel, has apparently agreed to dislodge Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s regime and restore democracy and the rule of law in the Maldives. The coalition was announced by […]
Last week, I took part in a panel discussion about the intimidation of bloggers in South Asia on the sidelines of the 30th UNHRC regular session in Geneva. I spoke about the enforced disappearance of journalist Ahmed Rilwan and the #FindMoyameehaa campaign. I highlighted rapidly deteriorating space for free speech in the Maldives that has […]
This is the third instalment in the Dhoonidhoo Diaries series where I pen down my experiences in Dhoonidhoo prison where I was incarcerated following an unprecedented regime crackdown on the May Day rally. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Nearly 200 democratic protesters were arrested on 1st May 2015 by the Maldives’ authoritarian […]
1st May 2015 saw the largest anti-government protests in Maldivian history, with nearly 20,000 protesters filling the main thoroughfare in Malé. I was among the nearly 200 democratic protesters arrested that day, in the largest police crackdown in over a decade. I was released after being held for 21 days without trial. But several May […]
1st May 2015 saw the largest anti-government protests in Maldivian history, with nearly 20,000 protesters filling the main thoroughfare in Malé. It also saw the largest police crackdown in over a decade, with nearly 200 democratic protesters arrested. I was among those arrested, and was held captive for 21 days, including 5 days of house […]
Maldives Home Minister Umar Naseer is confident that he can win at the Olympic 100m hurdles. He just needs some slight change of rules – firstly, to remove those annoying barriers that get in the way. Having to jump over these numerous obstacles were clearly undermining his goal of completing the race, he noticed. He […]
I remember the exact moment when I first saw Ahmed Rilwan. It was late 2009, and I had just arrived in the Maldives. Some bloggers had gotten together to sort of welcome me and get introduced. We were sitting in a sea-side café at night, when he walked in with two other well known bloggers. We hit […]
I remember ruffling some feathers a few years ago, when I publicly defended the Maldivian government’s decision to resume diplomatic relations with the state of Israel. My reasoning back then was basically this: Israel had done no harm to the Maldives or Dhivehin Maldives, as a sovereign, independent state, needed to maintain an independent foreign […]
This Week in Maldives: January 8
Because you guys liked, RT’d and shared the hell out of the last edition, this week I focus on aqeeda-endangering textbooks, Dunya’s return to the dark side, and Muizzu engaged in a series of unfortunate Muizzed up things. These are short takes on the headlines of the week gone by. Dunya rejoins the regime Dunya […]
Dhoonidhoo Diaries: Part 3 – Heat and Captivity
This is the third instalment in the Dhoonidhoo Diaries series where I pen down my experiences in Dhoonidhoo prison where I was incarcerated following an unprecedented regime crackdown on the May Day rally. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Nearly 200 democratic protesters were arrested on 1st May 2015 by the Maldives’ authoritarian […]
Dhoonidhoo Diaries: Part 2 – Prison Cell
1st May 2015 saw the largest anti-government protests in Maldivian history, with nearly 20,000 protesters filling the main thoroughfare in Malé. I was among the nearly 200 democratic protesters arrested that day, in the largest police crackdown in over a decade. I was released after being held for 21 days without trial. But several May […]
Dhoonidhoo Diaries: Part 1 – Arrest and Incarceration
1st May 2015 saw the largest anti-government protests in Maldivian history, with nearly 20,000 protesters filling the main thoroughfare in Malé. It also saw the largest police crackdown in over a decade, with nearly 200 democratic protesters arrested. I was among those arrested, and was held captive for 21 days, including 5 days of house […]
I remember the exact moment when I first saw Ahmed Rilwan. It was late 2009, and I had just arrived in the Maldives. Some bloggers had gotten together to sort of welcome me and get introduced. We were sitting in a sea-side café at night, when he walked in with two other well known bloggers. We hit […]
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