Three additional suspects have been charged in the murder of social media activist Yameen Rasheed and the kidnapping of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla.
The Prosecutor General's Office Monday said charges had been filed at the Criminal Court against three people in the case filed by the Presidential Commission Investigating Deaths and Enforced Disappearances.
The Death Commission investigated the cases and submitted the cases to the Prosecutor General's Office for charging on July 24.
The prosecution filed charges against Ismail Abdul Raheem Adam of M. Lagoonview; Ahmed Ismail of Ma. Faagafilaage, and Ahmed Muaz of Dhafatharu No. 8499.
All three were charged with conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which came into force in 1990 but has now been repealed. Ismail Abdul Raheem Adam and Ahmed Ismail were also charged with aiding and abetting an act of terrorism under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which came into force in 2015.
Ismail Abdul Raheem Adam was charged with aiding and abetting an act of terrorism under the Prohibition of Terrorism Act, 1990, for aiding and abetting the shadowing, kidnapping, and murder of Rilwan in August 2014.
Ismail Abdul Raheem Adam was charged with aiding and abetting an act of terrorism under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2015, for assisting in shadowing and murdering social media blogger Yameen Rasheed on the night of April 23, 2017, for writing and posting anti-Islamic content on his blog and social media platforms.
Ahmed Ismail was charged under the Prohibition of Terrorism Act of 1990 for aiding and abetting an act of terrorism for planning and organizing the murder of Rilwan and kidnapping and killing Rilwan on the night of August 8, 2014, through others as planned by Ahmed Ismail and his associates.
Ahmed Ismail was charged with aiding and abetting an act of terrorism under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2015, for organizing and helping Yameen to be surveilled to facilitate his brutal murder on the night of April 23, 2017.
Ahmed Muaz was charged with aiding and abetting an act of terrorism under the 1990 Prevention of Terrorism Act for planning and organizing the murder of Rilwan and kidnapping and killing Rilwan through others as planned by Muaz and his accomplices.
The three charged in the murder of Rilwan and Yameen were remanded in custody pending the outcome of the trial by the Criminal Court on June 27.
The prosecution had previously charged Aalif Rauf from G. Hilton, and Mohamed Nooraddin from Karankaage, GDh.Vaadhoo, for the kidnapping and disappearance of Ahmed Rilwan. They were released on August 2, 2018 after a lower court ruled that the terrorism charges against them were not proven.
The prosecution had previously charged Ismail Haisham Rasheed, M. Annaarumaage; Hussain Ziyad from M. Kolhufushi East; Ismail Rasheed from M. Thaaif, Hassan Shifaz from M. Kudhehige, Mohamed Dhifran from Sidhubaadhuge, GDh. Gadhdhoo, and Ahmed Zihan Ismail from M. Iraasmiku with intentional homicide using a sharp object.
Haisham and Zihan were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Criminal Court on January 19. Instead of sentencing them to death, the court sentenced them to life imprisonment after Yameen's mother, Mariyam Shafeeqa, told the court that she did not want to seek Qisas (retributive justice) and instead wished for Dia (blood money). According to Islamic law, the murderer cannot be sentenced to death if any one heir objects to Qisas.
Therefore, the judge imposed a legal punishment on Haisham and Zihan - life imprisonment (25 years) and payment of MVR 1.3 million as blood money. After deducting the duration of their custody (four years, eight months and 11 days) , the pair will serve 20 years, three months and 19 days from the date of sentencing.
Out of the four men who escaped conviction, the cases of Ismail Rasheed and Mohamed Dhifran were appealed at the High Court by the state in April. The prosecution had earlier said it would not appeal the case of Hassan Shifaz and Hussain Zihan as there was not enough evidence to appeal
