Prosecutors have formally charged a local man and a woman with incest while the criminal court is set to hold its first hearing.
Formal charges under 'Mahram' (unmarriageable kin with whom marriage/sexual intercourse considered haram) in Maldives is quite rare.
According to the criminal court, the suspects charged in the case Mariyam Aroosha and Hassan Rasheed both officially registered under the same address in the capital Male. However, the relationship between the two remains unclear.
Consensual sexual relations between 'Mahram' relatives carries a prison sentence between 10-15 years under Maldives law while if non-consensual, the offender would face between 15-25 years in prison.
