The government of the Indian Ocean nation declared the emergency late Monday and refuses to enforce a Supreme Court order to free several jailed politicians. The decree gives the government sweeping power to make arrests and restricts freedom of assembly.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he was “gravely concerned” about the Maldives situation and asked “Yameen (the president) and Maldives government to peacefully end the state of emergency, restore all articles of the constitution, take immediate steps to implement in full the order of the Supreme Court, and to permit and support the full, free and proper functioning of Parliament.”
Australian ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives Bryce Hutchesson said Australia “calls on all parties to respect the rule of law, independence of the judiciary and the Supreme Court’s decision.”
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