Former Maldivian president Nasheed walks out of Maldivian court as free man

NEW DELHI: Former Maldivian president Mohammed Nasheed on Wednesday walked out of the Maldivian court as a "free man" after the hearing ended. Earlier, he was produced in a court in a power abuse case in Male.

On Tuesday, police in Maldives detained opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed, defying pressure from regional power India which had called for him to be free to campaign for elections.

Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected leader, is to be taken before a magistrate later in the day on charges of abusing his authority and ordering the arrest of a judge when he was in power between 2008 and 2012.

The 45-year-old, a former Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, says the charges are politically motivated and designed to disqualify him from contesting the September 7 presidential election.

Amnesty said the arrest of Nasheed was an example of selective justice from the Maldivian authorities and highlighted their failure to investigate other serious rights abuses in a country better known for its upmarket tourism.

"Of course political leaders, including Nasheed, should be held to account -- but the targeting of Nasheed is an example of selective justice," said Abbas Faiz, the group's Maldives researcher.

India, which moved to end a political standoff in the Maldives last month after Nasheed sought refuge at the Indian embassy in Male to avoid arrest, said it was monitoring developments closely.

"We would urge all concerned to exercise caution and restraint and not to resort to any violence or extra-constitutional means and steps which would weaken the democratic system," said Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin.

The US embassy in neighbouring Sri Lanka said it was "increasingly concerned" about developments in the Sunni Muslim nation, which straddles strategic shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean.

Male has been racked by violence and political infighting since February 2012 when Nasheed was ousted following a mutiny by security forces and protests.

(Inputs from AFP)