Criminal Court has extended Qasim Ibrahim’s detention by 4 days. This has given Maldives Police Service the authority to keep Qasim in the 6 by 8 feet small cell for four more days.
Speaking to the press after the hearing, Hisaan Hussein of Qasim’s legal team said that the police have not found any new evidence even though Qasim has been detained for 15 days. She said that the judge ordered the police to submit new evidence if they intend to extend Qasim’s remand next time.
That means if police are unable to obtain new evidence, they will have to free Qasim after four days. Hisaan said that today the judge extended Qasim’s remanded stating that the High Court also identified that there is evidence against Qasim.
Qasim was arrested on 20th April with a court warrant and then the court remanded him for 15 days on 21st of April. Qasim’s lawyers appealed the case at the High Court and the High Court failed to make a decision regarding Qasim’s detention in the first hearing. This is the first time the high court ended a hearing regarding a detention without deciding. The second hearing was held on 30th April and the High Court upheld the ruling of the Criminal Court.
A lot of people in the Maldives are worried that Qasim Ibrahim, a national hero like him, is being detained in a small cell in inhuman conditions.
Criminal Court extends Qasim’s detention by four days !
