Fayyaz says arrests won’t silence opposition

Former Maldivian Democratic Party chairperson Fayyaz Ismail said on Thursday that imprisoning individuals would not weaken opposition efforts against the government.

His remarks followed a joint protest held by the MDP and the People’s National Front calling for the release of journalists from Adhadhu who were detained earlier this week.

According to police media, nine individuals were taken into custody during the protest held on Wednesday night.

In a post shared on X, Fayyaz published the names of those detained and called for their immediate release. The list shared by him included 10 individuals:

Fayyaz said arrests and threats of imprisonment would not force people to retreat.

“The Maldivian people cannot be intimidated or forced to retreat through arrests and the threat of imprisonment,” he said. He added that jailing protesters would strengthen opposition efforts against what he described as an “authoritarian leader”.

Fayyaz also referred to the imprisonment of Adhadhu journalists Leevan Ali Nasir and Mohamed Shahuzan, stating that their actions would not be forgotten.

Leevan and Shahuzan were sentenced to prison for allegedly violating a Criminal Court order related to a case involving allegations against President Mohamed Muizzu.

Shahuzan was sentenced to 15 days in prison, while Leevan received a 10-day prison sentence.