Male’ Maldives: During a youth-led protest in Malé on Thursday night, police cracked down on the demonstrations and arrested two organisers. The heavy-handed actions were taken when the police tried to seize the protest’s sound equipment.
The protests, known as the “nepo baby” demonstrations, began in response to an alleged coverup related to the fall of a young woman from an apartment building on April 18. The protests, which had been ongoing for seven nights, focused on police negligence. They included live music, poetry recitals, and graffiti art and typically ended before midnight. The small group of protesters occupied a section of Majeedhee Magu near the police criminal investigation headquarters.
crackdown came soon after protesters set up a carrom board and ping pong table. Around 11pm, police officers tried unsuccessfully to stop them from playing games on the closed section of the capital’s main thoroughfare. About 40 minutes later, a larger group of police officers returned and charged into the protesters, who stood with arms interlocked to protect two speakers that were blasting live music.
In the ensuing clashes, police manhandled and pepper sprayed several protesters before seizing the speakers and megaphone. Two of the protest leaders, Aishath Shiman Ahmed, 19, and Abdulla Mahzoon Majid, 28, were dragged away and taken inside the Henveiru police station.
Leave feedback about this