Associate Asia Director at Human Rights Watch HRW Patricia Gossman says President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu and his government should focus on improving the justice system, supporting free expression, and protecting Maldives island communities from reckless development projects.
In its World Report 2024, HRW states that the Maldives government increasingly violated the rights to freedom of expression and assembly ahead of the September 2023 presidential elections, with the security forces using excessive force against protesters and journalists covering demonstrations.
It noted that Muizzu won the presidential election after a runoff on September 30, and promptly secured the release from prison of the former president, Abdulla Yameen, who had been convicted of corruption in 2022.
In the 740-page World Report 2024, its 34th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries.
In her introductory essay, Executive Director Tirana Hassan says that 2023 was a consequential year not only for human rights suppression and wartime atrocities but also for selective government outrage and transactional diplomacy that carried profound costs for the rights of those not in on the deal.
