Deposed ruling party leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on Tuesday rejected his half brother and incumbent president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom call for all opposition leaders to request for self exiled former president Mohamed Nasheed's release.
Speaking during a ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) ceremony to welcome the signing of several new members on Thursday, president Yameen asked all opposition leaders to individually request the government to find a way to free Nasheed and allow him to stand for the 2018 elections.
Nasheed was jailed on terror charges after he was convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison over the arbitrary detention of a sitting judge while he was president.
Nasheed now lives in self imposed exile in the UK after he was allowed to leave to Britain on medical leave in an internationally brokered deal in January last year.
The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) leader in February had announced that he would stand for elections though the Maldives constitution bars Nasheed from being a candidate because of the 2015 terrorism conviction.
Highlighting that the current laws would not allow Nasheed to contest in the elections, president Yameen had said that lawmakers from both the opposition and the government could find a way to amend the laws.
"If they want to free Nasheed all opposition leaders can send me a letter. President Maumoon can send me one. So can Sheikh Imran, president Nasheed and Gasim Ibrahim asking me to change the laws to free Nasheed. Then I will forward the request to our Parliamentary Group leader and find a way to get it done," he explained referring to the historic pact penned by former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Nasheed, former government coalition partners Jumhoory Party leader Gasim Ibrahim and religiously conservative Adhaalath Party leader Sheikh Imran Abdulla.
In a statement, the former strongman who ruled the country for three decades until Nasheed replaced him as the first democratically elected president in 2008, insisted that he had sent several letters urging his half brother for reform.
Insisting that it was the legal obligation of every government to protect the rights of every citizen and ensure a fair trial, Gayoom refused to accept that a separate letter is required to secure Nasheed's release who he said was denied a free and fair trial.
"I don't believe that I need to send a letter to end the unjust persecution of a citizen of this nation," Gayoom said in the statement.
"I don't intend to send another letter to the president begging him to do things he's legally obligated to do."
Gayoom lost a bitter power struggle for party control with president Yameen after the civil court handed over party reins to the younger Gayoom.
The rift between the two brothers has split the party in two, which ultimately ended with the elder Gayoom publicly withdrawing his support for his brother.
The elder Gayoom has since been ousted from the party which he founded.
