Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdulla has said the administration will never tolerate torture and injustice.
In the wake of police officers accused of mishandling a suspect during a raid under a court warrant, in a tweet, the home minister assured the administration is against all forms of torture. After a video went viral in which plain-clothed police officers were seen brutally beating a suspect, who have been identified as a Bangladeshi national, Maldives Police Service had suspended 7 officers, pending an investigation, which had created discontent among some ranks of the police force.
The home minister said the administration would never take an unjust action against an officer. He requested both police officers and the public to refrain from speculations while the investigations are ongoing.
There have been wide criticism against police brutality, with pictures and videos posted on social media portraying violence by police officers against citizens, mostly during protests held against the previous administration.
In another tweet, the home minister noted Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed has taken swift actions, within 30 minutes, since the recent case that is suspected to involve torture during a search operation was brought to his attention. The minister highlighted the commissioner reported to relevant institutions and informed the public of the incident, adding transparency is key to the approach of governance.
In addition to activating all internal mechanisms to investigate the incident, Commissioner Hameed had also requested the President of Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) to investigate the case of manhandling by police officers and had submitted the names of the officers involved in the operation. He had also asked National Integrity Commission (NIC) to launch a separate probe to the incident.