Maldives army occupies parliament, roughs up opposition MPs
Opposition MPs in Maldives claim the military has locked down the country's parliament, in a bid to block a no-confidence motion impeaching the speaker of the house. The opposition also claims military personnel roughed them up. Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed is a close ally of President Abdulla Yameen, who has been accused of attempting to reverse Maldives' democratic progress.
Opposition MPs claim parliament session ended without no-confidence motion
MP Imithiyaz Fahmy of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) tweeted, "MPs cannot enter before 8:55 am. Proceedings begin at 9:00, surrounded by military." Eva Abdulla, another MDP lawmaker, said MPs were eventually allowed to enter parliament but were surrounded by military personnel wearing plainclothes. "The session was over in five minutes," before MPs could vote on the no-confidence motion, she said.
Earlier attempts at impeaching speaker were similarly blocked
In March, a similar attempt by the opposition to impeach the speaker was defeated after several lawmakers were evicted or walked out in protest over alleged vote count discrepancies. Last month, lawmakers claiming to have a majority of votes were again locked out of parliament by Maldives' armed forces, blocking an impeachment attempt. The MDP labelled Yameen's actions "desperate, illegal and unconstitutional."
Yameen's actions attract international condemnation
The latest incident in parliament comes against a "backdrop of attacks on freedom of expression" in Maldives under Yameen, said Amnesty International. Last month's incident prompted UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to express concern over "gradual erosion of basic democratic norms and principles" in Maldives.
