Maldives police drag former president into court
Police in the Maldives have dragged the country's former
president into a court which had ordered his detention while he is tried over
his decision to arrest a top judge three years ago.
Mohamed Nasheed, now an opposition leader, fell to the
ground after police pushed him in attempts to stop him from speaking to
journalists gathered outside the Criminal Court in Male before his first
hearing on Monday.
Nasheed was arrested on Sunday and charged under an
anti-terrorism law for abusing his powers while president in 2012 by illegally
using the military to arrest Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed.
The three-judge panel gave Nasheed three days to name his
lawyers.
The government says the anti-terrorism law covers not only
violent terrorism, but a wide array of actions against the state.
Nasheed resigned as president in 2012 following weeks of
public protests against his order to arrest Mohamed.
The judge was arrested after he released a detained
opposition politician, and Nasheed's administration accused him of political
bias and corruption.
Mohamed was later released from detention.
Court ignored
Nasheed became the country's first democratically elected
leader in 2008, defeating Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom, who had ruled for 30 years.
Nasheed then lost to Gayyoom's half-brother, Yameen, in the
2013 presidential election.
The former president's detention comes weeks after a key
ally defected from Yameen's ruling coalition to align with Nasheed's opposition
Maldivian Democratic Party.
The party accuses the government of repeatedly violating the
constitution.
Nasheed is also accused of detaining Mohamed for weeks
without trial or legal counsel and ignoring a Supreme Court order to release
him.
Source: Aljazeera