UN calls for protection of freedom of the press as essential to democracy and justice
UN Secretary General António Guterres Tuesday called for the protection of the freedom of the press by ceasing threats, detentions and attacks of journalists while performing their duties at the Commemoration of World Press Freedom Day. This call to action marks a step toward the promotion of freedom of expression which is essential in achieving [...]
The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Thursday reviewed the UK’s human rights record for the fourth time. The UPR announced the review on November 7. Some delegations, such as the Maldives and Malaysia, commended the UK on its recent efforts to protect women and girls by criminalizing gendered offenses. Other delegations, [...]
Indian scholar Dadabhai Naoroji championed the theory of the ‘drain of wealth.’ The drain of wealth referred to the ‘tribute’ or the unrequited transfer of resources from the colony to the colonial metropolis. In other words, this theory refers to a portion of the national product of India which was not available for consumption by [...]
UN Human Rights Council recognizes sustainable environment as a human right
The United Human Rights Council recognized a “safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment” as a fundamental human right on Friday. The resolution first proposed in the 1990s will implement the right to a healthy environment and introduce a Special Rapporteur to establish these changes. The text proposed by countries including the Maldives and Morocco passed [...]
The Union Territory (UT) of Lakshadweep is an archipelago of 36 islands off the Kerala coast; it is one of the smallest Union Territories of India, with a meagre population of around 65,000. The majority of the population follows Islam, but their religious practices are pretty unique and almost exclusively limited to the Union Territory. [...]
UN maritime tribunal rules no UK sovereignty over Chagos Islands
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ruled Thursday that the United Kingdom did not hold sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, allowing the dispute between Mauritius and Maldives in regards to the delimitation of their boundaries to proceed. The ruling follows a preliminary objection from Maldives, who claimed that the tribunal did not [...]
On 9th January 2015, in front of the Jeddah Mosque, a Saudi activist and blogger named Raif Badawi was publicly given the first fifty out of the thousand lashes he was sentenced with, for ‘insulting Islam through electronic channels.’ The disturbing incident instantaneously became viral on social media and the #JeSuisRaif movement gained momentum. Saudi [...]
The Maldives High Court on Monday overturned ex-Vice President Ahmed Adeeb‘s conviction on terrorism charges and ordered a new trial and investigation into the alleged attempted assassination of former President Yameen Abdul Gayoom. Adeeb was arrested and originally convicted of corruption and attempted assassination and terrorism charges when an explosion occurred on Yameen’s boat in September [...]
A three-judge bench of the High Court in Malé ordered police to release former Maldives president Abdulla Yameen on Thursday. The court ruled that there was not enough reason to hold Yameen beyond a month under the law, finding that the prosecution had not provided sufficient reason to extend his remand in custody. Yameen was [...]
Authorities in the Maldives transferred former vice president Ahmed Adeeb to house arrest on Tuesday. Adeeb, who is serving out a 33-year prison sentence, underwent surgery to remove kidney stones and was being treated at Malé’s Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital. While the Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) confirmed that Adeeb was being placed under house arrest, [...]
