Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed back in jail

NEW DELHI: India’s key southern neighbour Maldives once again slipped towards a political crisis following Sunday’s late night arrest of former President Mohamed Nasheed, who is now back in jail a month after his 13-year prison sentence was converted to a house arrest.

Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said the former president was arrested on Sunday night from his Male home leading to protests and subsequent police action.

Police and prison officials clashed with supporters as they removed Nasheed from his home and took him to the high security prison island of Maafushi. “Nasheed’s transfer back to jail is in clear breach of the Maldives’ constitution, which provides no provision for reversing a commutation of a sentence,” according to an MDP statement sent to ET.

Eyewitnesses said police pepper sprayed protesters indiscriminately, including journalists. At least one opposition member of Parliament was arrested.

Nasheed was earlier arrested in March after a court convicted him under Maldivian anti-terror laws. Those charges relate to the arrest of a judge accused of corruption when Nasheed, who was toppled in February 2012, was president. Political stability in Maldives is critical for India amid China’s expanding footprints in that country.

After months of lukewarm ties following turmoil, India started engaging Male with the visit of foreign secretary there recently followed by the trip of his Maldivian counterpart to Delhi in quick succession. India would appoint a new High Commissioner to Maldives soon.