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Maafushi Prison is a prison in Maafushi on
Kaafu Atoll Kaafu Atoll is the code name given to an administrative division in the Republic of Maldives which consists of the geographical atolls of Kaashidhoo Island, Gaafaru, North Malé Atoll and South Malé Atoll. As the two Malé Atolls are the main i ...
in the
Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
, south of the capital,
Malé Malé is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 211,908 in 2022 within its administrative area and coterminous geographical area of , Malé is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city i ...
. It is the largest prison on the islands and has held numerous political prisoners over the years, including former presidents like
Mohamed Nasheed Mohamed Nasheed (; born 17 May 1967), also known as Anni (), is a Maldivians, Maldivian politician and activist who served as president of the Maldives from 2008 until his resignation in 2012. A founding member of the Maldivian Democratic Part ...
and
Abdulla Yameen Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom (; born 21 May 1959) is a Maldivian politician who served as president of the Maldives from 2013 to 2018. Yameen was elected president in the 2013 presidential election as the candidate of the Progressive Party (P ...
.


History

In September 2003, an uprising broke out at the prison, which resulted in the deaths of inmates
Hassan Evan Naseem Hassan Evan Naseem (; 1984 – 19 September 2003), commonly referred to as Evan Naseem, was a Maldivian man whose death became a lever for the current, open, political reform activities in the Maldives. He was serving a jail term at Maafushi ...
and Abdulla Ameen. 12 others were taken to
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
for injuries, and another, Ali Aalaam, later died. The beating of the 19-year-old Naseem to death during the uprising caused a public outcry, and resulted in riots in Malé after his family displayed his disfigured body to the locals. At around 7 am on August 13, 2004, the prison was taken during Black Friday. Later that day, Fathimath Nisreen, the secretary of online ''
Sandhaanu ''Sandhaanu'' (meaning ''Throne'' in English) was an online political news magazine in the Maldives. It was launched in 1999. Its main editor Ahmed Didi together with his main contributors Ibrahim Luthfee and Mohamed Zaki were sentenced to li ...
'' publishers Ahmed Didi and
Mohamed Zaki Dato' Mohamad Zaki (born 20 February 1952), also known as Nazaki Zaki or Sandhaanu Zaki, is a businessman and politician in the Maldives. Zaki previously served as the chairman of the Maldives Ports Limited from 2019 to 2020, as well as the hig ...
, were arrested by the National Security Service (NSS) during a crackdown on pro-democracy reformists and taken to Maafushi. Didi was taken to Girifushi due to health problems, but Zaki was incarcerated at Maafushi on 16 August. In 2009 a number of riots and jailbreaks broke out, and on January 10 detainees went on a hunger strike in protest at the government's failure to improve the poor conditions of overcrowding and inadequate lighting. Prisoners set the prison on fire in April, affecting the health centre, a workshop and a desalination plant, and on April 5 a raid on the prison found homemade bombs, knives and more. A further riot in October 2009 caused further extensive damage to the prison through arson. Trouble continued the following year, with 15 prisoners injured during a riot in April, and a petition by 236 Maafushi inmates in July to the president, asking for improvements to the prison. In April 2013, inmates and staff of the prison were all tested for
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
after one detainee was tested positive with it. The year 2014 witnessed many attacks by the inmates. On 17 October 2014, two murder convicts – Fariyash Ahmed of Gaafu Alifu, Maamendhoo and Ibrahim Shahum Adam of Malé – escaped from the prison by cutting the rods of the ventilator. Following this escape the
Maldives Police Service The Maldives Police Service () is the civilian national police force of the Republic of Maldives. It is responsible for enforcing criminal and traffic law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the peace throughout Maldives. T ...
(MPS) and the Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) initiated steps to reinforce the security system in the prison. On 1 December 2014, two more murder convicts – Ibrahim Shahum Adam and Fariyash Ahmed escaped from the prison but were caught soon thereafter. In another incident during an inspection visit to the prison cells four officers of the MCS were attacked by the inmates and two suffered serious injuries. These incidents have necessitated strengthening the existing 20 ft high wall with additional security measures such as electronic surveillance cameras, better lights and automatic locking systems. In September 2015, British barrister
Amal Clooney Amal Clooney (; born ) is a British International human rights law, international human rights lawyer. She has represented several high-profile clients, including former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, form ...
met
Mohamed Nasheed Mohamed Nasheed (; born 17 May 1967), also known as Anni (), is a Maldivians, Maldivian politician and activist who served as president of the Maldives from 2008 until his resignation in 2012. A founding member of the Maldivian Democratic Part ...
, the jailed former president of the Maldives, at the prison ahead of a court hearing over his imprisonment. In November 2019, former president
Abdulla Yameen Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom (; born 21 May 1959) is a Maldivian politician who served as president of the Maldives from 2013 to 2018. Yameen was elected president in the 2013 presidential election as the candidate of the Progressive Party (P ...
was incarcerated at the prison complex specially designed for higher class. He served his sentence until November 2021 when his sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court of Maldives and was freed.


Prison reforms

After the September 2003 death of Hassan Evan Naseem in Maafushi Prison, the
UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...
carried out a study of the prison conditions. Now, the Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Services (DPRS) of the
Ministry of Home Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...
(MoHA) has been put in place with the task of running the Maafushi Prison. Action has been initiated to evolve a reformed criminal justice system in the country. The measures undertaken are in the form of establishing the
Human Rights Commission of Maldives Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are great apes characterized by their hairlessness, bipedalism, and high intelligenc ...
(HRCM). On 7 August 2008, a new
constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...
was ratified with incorporation of a clause on the bill of rights. Many more reforms are on the anvil, such as the Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code, Evidence Bill, Prison & Parole Bill and Drugs Bill. On 31 December 2013, President Yameen established the Maldives Correctional Service which manages all the jails in the Maldives and abolished the DPRS.


Notable inmates

*
Jennifer Latheef Jennifer Latheef (born 1973) is the daughter of Mohamed Latheef, a leading Maldivian politician and government critic. She also worked as a Maldivian journalist and photographer for a short period of time. According to an Amnesty Internation ...
, journalist, in prison from 2005 to 2006, daughter of
Mohamed Latheef Mohamed Latheef (; died 3 July 2022), more popularly known as Gogo Latheef (), was a Maldivian politician, a former parliamentarian and a campaigner for human rights. He is a co-founder of the MDP (Maldivian Democratic Party), a political party ...
, a leading Maldivian politician and government critic *
Hassan Evan Naseem Hassan Evan Naseem (; 1984 – 19 September 2003), commonly referred to as Evan Naseem, was a Maldivian man whose death became a lever for the current, open, political reform activities in the Maldives. He was serving a jail term at Maafushi ...
, serving for drug offences died in 2003 in prison custody sparking public outrage *
Mohamed Nasheed Mohamed Nasheed (; born 17 May 1967), also known as Anni (), is a Maldivians, Maldivian politician and activist who served as president of the Maldives from 2008 until his resignation in 2012. A founding member of the Maldivian Democratic Part ...
, former president, serving 13 years from 2015 which he evaded by seeking
political asylum The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereignty, sovereign authority, such as a second country or ...
from India in Indian Embassy. *
Mohamed Zaki Dato' Mohamad Zaki (born 20 February 1952), also known as Nazaki Zaki or Sandhaanu Zaki, is a businessman and politician in the Maldives. Zaki previously served as the chairman of the Maldives Ports Limited from 2019 to 2020, as well as the hig ...
, businessman, politician and online publisher. *
Abdulla Yameen Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom (; born 21 May 1959) is a Maldivian politician who served as president of the Maldives from 2013 to 2018. Yameen was elected president in the 2013 presidential election as the candidate of the Progressive Party (P ...
, former President jailed from November 2019 till November 2021 and since 25th December 2022 till 19th April 2024.


References

{{reflist, 30em Prisons in the Maldives