MALDIVES: DEMOCRACY AND DHOONIDHOO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 06 COLOMBO 001582

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA/INS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/23/2014
TAGS: PHUM PREL MV
SUBJECT: MALDIVES: DEMOCRACY AND DHOONIDHOO

REF: COLOMBO 1549

Classified By: Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead. Reason 1.4(b,d).


1. (C) Summary: Democracy and human rights themes dominated
the DCM,s September 19-20 visit to Maldives to open the
American trade fair. Government (GoRM) officials
acknowledged they have a public relations problem with the
detained Special Majlis members but argued that a serious
investigation is warranted. The state of emergency may be
lifted by the end of the month and the GoRM will sign an MOU
with the International Committees of the Red Cross (ICRC) on
October 5. The Maldives Human Rights Commission is
struggling to distance itself from the GoRM and may soon
issue a press statement on its observations on detainee
abuse. The DCM visited detainees on Dhoonidhoo island and
found conditions mixed. The GoRM needs to find a way to
conduct a timely investigation without holding detainees
indefinitely. The Ambassador will reinforce these points
with President Gayoom in early October as well as urge
continued progress towards democratic openness despite the
disturbances of mid-August. End Summary.

GoRM Officials Outline Effort to Topple Government
-------------- --------------


2. (C) DCM traveled to Maldives September 19-20 to open the
fifth annual U.S. trade fair on the capital island of Male,.
In his opening speech, in addition to trade and economic
themes, DCM stressed U.S. support for the democratic reform
process undertaken by President Gayoom and expressed hope
that the August 12-13 disturbances in Male, and their
aftermath would not derail the process. He also called for
humane treatment of the recent detainees in accordance with
international norms. Defense Minister Ismail Shafeeu and
Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Shihab were in the audience
and appeared somewhat chagrined by the public mention of
democracy and detainees. On the other hand, quite a few
businessmen and Maldivian chamber of commerce members told
DCM and econ officer afterwards that they appreciated the
remarks and expressed deep concern over the potential
economic impact of continued political turmoil in Maldives.


3. (C) In September 20 meetings with Foreign Secretary Abdul
Hameed Zakariyya, Chief Government spokesman Ahmed Shaheed,
Defense Minister Ismail Shafeeu, Attorney General Hassan
Saeed, all of the Maldivian officials mounted a vigorous
defense of the need to thoroughly investigate all of those
arrested in the wake of the August 12-13 disturbances
(largely echoing Education Minister Shougee in his September
16 call on the Ambassador - reftel). The Attorney General
(who is a strong advocate of political reform) shared with
DCM a detailed readout of the investigation of Special Majlis
member (and wealthy resort owner) Gasim Ibrahim. The AG said
that the investigation reveals Gasim was deeply in debt and
facing tax evasion charges. Thus, the AG said, it appears
that Gasim was working to overthrow President Gayoom so that
a subsequent government more favorably disposed to him could
be installed. The AG said that several other detained
Special Majlis members such as former AG Mohamed Munawwar and
Ibrahim Hussain Zaki also appeared to be motivated by
financial difficulties and problems with various GoRM
regulatory agencies.


4. (C) The working GoRM investigative theory at this point
is that these financially beleaguered Special Majlis members
found common cause with the detained "fundamentalist" Sheikh
Ibrahim Farid who, GoRM interlocutors told DCM, wants to
overthrow Gayoom,s "secular" government for religious
reasons. The AG and Defense Minister both said that
investigators were working their way through text messages
from the detainees, cellphones which show a clear pattern of
coordination among Special Majlis members themselves and
between them and Farid to turn the August 12-13 demonstration
into a violent event which they hoped would lead to the
toppling of Gayoom,s government. Describing the GoRM,s
views of the kind of government Farid envisions for Maldives,
Foreign Secretary Zakariyya underlined that Farid was deeply
opposed to GoRM gender equality efforts and had publicly
condemned the GoRM decision to work with the U.S. to open an
"American Corner" in Male,.


5. (C) The investigations are being overseen by a
Ministerial committee consisting of AG Saeed, Defense
Minister Shafeeu and Education Minister (also acting Justice
Minister) Shougee. The AG and Defense Minister both readily
acknowledged to DCM (as Shougee did to us last week) that the
image of "detained parliamentarians" is a terrible one for
Maldives and were grappling with how to rectify that
situation while still proceeding with what they maintain is a
crucial and well-justified investigation. (All either
explicitly or tacitly admitted that Foreign Minister
Jameel,s confrontational performance with the EU chiefs of
mission team had been a disaster.) President spokesman
Shaheed vigorously assured DCM that President Gayoom wants to
see the Special Majlis back in session as soon as possible
but realized that it would be a sham without the presence of
the imprisoned Special Majlis members. "We,re balancing
investigative needs against our commitment to democratic
progress," Shaheed stated. The DCM suggested to all GoRM
interlocutors that consideration be given to moving the
Special Majlis members back to Male, and putting them under
some looser form of control while the investigation
continues. All took the point but the Defense Minister
noted, "they,ll start sending text messages to each other
again and we,ll be back to square one."

State of Emergency to be Lifted Soon?
--------------


6. (C) Both the Attorney General and the Defense Minister
told the DCM that the state of emergency which allowed for
detention without charge would hopefully be lifted by the end
of September (although a decision had not yet been made and
they asked that the end of September goal not be publicized
now). One reason the state of emergency remained was GoRM
concern that it might be needed to prevent more violence
during the mid-September anniversary of the prisoner,s death
on Maafushi prison island which triggered large-scale unrest
a year ago. (GoRM officials told the DCM that there had
indeed been an "anniversary disturbance" on Maafushi
September 18. The AG said he had visited the next day and
observed that prisoners had smashed toilets and doors.
Prison officials had told him that the prisoners pelted
guards with burning rags tied around bricks. The AG claimed
that prison officials had purposely refrained from quelling
the disturbances to avoid any possibility of injuring
prisoners.) The AG told DCM that as soon as the state of
emergency is lifted all remaining detainees would be charged
in court and provided legal counsel.

Getting on Board with the ICRC
--------------


7. (C) Foreign Secretary Zakariyya told the DCM that the
GoRM, realizing its record on detentions was open to
criticism and that it had to do better, had decided to sign
an MOU with the ICRC which would allow access to prisons and
let the ICRC train prison officials. (In a subsequent phone
call after DCM returned to Colombo, Zakariyya said the ICRC
rep from New Delhi will sign the MOU with the GoRM in Male,
on October 5.

Human Rights Commission Finding Its Legs
--------------


8. (C) In his meeting with the DCM September 20, Maldivian
Human Rights Commission Chairperson Ahmed Mujuthaba (who, in
his capacity as vice president of the Maldivian Chamber of
Commerce, shared the podium with DCM at the trade fair
opening) said that the GoRM had, in response to a commission
request for information, informed him that as of September 16
there were 76 Maldivians still in detention in the wake of
the August 12-13 disturbances. 201 had been originally
detained, Mujuthaba said, of whom 26 were under the age of
eighteen. Mujuthaba said he found the GoRM argument that the
Special Majlis members were conspiring against the government
less than convincing.


9. (C) Regarding treatment of the detainees, Mujuthaba
shared with DCM text of press statement which the Human
Rights Commission may release in the near future regarding
treatment of detainees in the immediate aftermath of August
12-13 (full text below). Mujuthaba expressed frustration
that issuing a commission press release would be largely a
formality since "the media here could never run it." He also
acknowledged that the commission had a credibility problem
since it had been formed by the GoRM and said he was seeking
ways to gradually distance the commission from the GoRM both
in staffing and funding. "We need to get in line with the
Paris Principles" on human rights commissions, Mujuthaba
conceded.

Mixed Conditions for Dhoonidhoo Detainees
--------------


10. (C) Following up on Education Minister Shougee,s
invitation to visit detainees (reftel),DCM arranged via the
Foreign Ministry to travel to the detention facility on
Dhoonidhoo Island (visible from Male,) on the afternoon of
September 20. In the presence of police official Abdulla
Riyaz and warden Ibrahim Manik, DCM held individual
interviews, limited to conditions of detention and treatment,
with eleven Special Majlis members (Mohamed Munawwar, Gasim
Ibrahim, Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, Mohamed Naseem Ibrahim, Ahmed
Athif, Ahmed Shafeeq, Ahmed Adil, Ali Faiz, Ilyas Hussain
Ibrahim, Hussain Rasheed Hassan and Ibrahim Ismail).
Detainees were brought one-by-one to a pavilion near the dock
to meet the DCM.


11. (C) From the eleven separate Special Majlis interviews
(officials would not permit a group interview to avoid giving
the detainees the opportunity to compare notes on their
investigations),a number of conclusions were clear. All
said that general conditions were decent given that
Dhoonidhoo is a detention facility. Food is adequate
(several told DCM that their meals had been modified to
address dietary and medical concerns). All were granted
weekly access to a military doctor and received any
prescribed medications, with more frequent medical attention
if needed. (Former AG Munawwar, a diabetic, said the
officials were arranging for him to get a glucometer.
Ibrahim Ismail, on crutches from childhood polio, said the
administration tried to accommodate his physical
limitations.) None of them said they had been subjected to
any physical abuse on Dhoonidhoo. All had received at least
one guard-supervised thirty-minute spousal visit since their
mid-August arrests.


12. (C) Most of the Special Majlis members said they had not
been abused while held at police headquarters in Male,
immediately after their detentions and before their transfer
to Dhoonidhoo, although several complained of being made to
sit rigid on hard chairs overnight. One Special Majlis
member, however, said he had been blindfolded, handcuffed and
beaten "during the first night in Male,."


13. (C) Beyond food, medical care and the absence of
physical abuse on Dhoonidhoo, however, the detainees had a
number of complaints and most showed no reluctance in
expressing them. Specifically, the detainees are kept alone
in their small cells almost constantly with no opportunity
for exercise. They are let out only to do laundry or to meet
with investigators (several tents have been set up in which
the investigators meet with detainees). Moreover, the
detainees are allowed no reading material except for the
Koran. Almost all complained of the resulting boredom and
lack of intellectual stimulation. Clearly, steps are taken
by the administration to keep the detainees away from each
other; they are not allowed to speak or shout to each other
on the rare occasions when their paths do cross. One
described the "solitary confinement" in small cells and lack
of reading material as "emotional and mental torture."
Several said they were depressed and dispirited. Hussain
Rasheed Hassan told DCM "the isolation is breaking me" and,
in tears, said he needed to "see a counselor."
"Psychologically, I,m not well." Gasim Ibrahim, described
as emotional and tearful by the EU team which visited him in
August, told DCM he was "feeling better." Several detainees
expressed anger at not being allowed to see their children or
to make phone calls to them ("My children have been told I,m
on a business trip to Colombo but constantly ask why I don,t
call."). One Special Majlis detainee said
non-parliamentarian August 12-13 detainees on Dhoonidhoo were
being treated more harshly than Special Majlis members.


14. (C) After the interviews, the DCM was allowed to tour
the holding areas. Mohamed Munawwar, Gasim Ibrahim and
Ibrahim Hussain Zaki are being kept in reasonably sized rooms
with regular doors. They are allowed to walk around in very
small courtyards in front of their rooms under supervision.
(The warden said the three were being housed better than
other Dhoonidhoo detainees on specific instructions from
President Gayoom.) The rest of the detainees are kept in
individual concrete blocks perhaps eight by eight feet in
area, with a rustic toilet facility off the one room. The
doors are metal grills. Some of the female prisoners share
cells. New detention facilities are under construction on
Dhoonidhoo on a rush basis. Several detainees complained
about "around the clock construction noise" and paint fumes.

Snail,s Pace of Investigations
--------------


15. (C) All of the Special Majlis detainees expressed
frustration with the nature and pace of the GoRM,s
investigation (the DCM,s minders were not particularly
assiduous in enforcing the "conditions of detention only"
conversation guideline). Several said that they had been
shown charge sheets after being arrested in Male, which said
they were being held for unlawful assembly but that
subsequent conversations with investigators had been
exclusively on other topics. Others had had almost no
interaction with investigators ("I,ve been here almost forty
days and have met with investigators for ten minutes. What
kind of investigation is that? The government has an
obligation to investigate me if they think I,m trying to
topple Gayoom but they need to get on with it.") A majority
of the Special Majlis members said they were convinced the
government did not really suspect them of trying to topple
the government but rather was holding them for political
reasons, probably in connection with their July 19 walkout
from the first Special Majlis assembly after it became clear
that the selection of the speaker would not be by secret
ballot. Several noted that it was ridiculous for them to be
accused of fomenting violence during the August 12-13 events
since they had only come to the gathering to help calm things
down at the request of the government.

The Latheef Sisters
--------------


16. (C) The DCM was also permitted, at his request, to hold
separate interviews on Dhoonidhoo with Jennifer Latheef (age
31) and Maanee Latheef (age 23),the two detained daughters
of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) leader Mohamed Latheef, a
frequent Embassy contact in Colombo. Both looked physically
well and were extremely animated in their conversations with
the DCM. They said that conditions on Dhoonidhoo were decent
but that their treatment before arriving on the island had
been bad. Both were arrested at home, along with four
others, on August 14 and kept overnight at police
headquarters in Male,. They said they were handcuffed and
blindfolded the entire time, even when taken to the toilet.
Both women said they were slapped, beaten and subjected to
"sexual touching" during the night.


17. (C) Both sisters said they were then placed in a boat,
still handcuffed and blindfolded, and taken to Girifushi
island, the site of a police training facility in North
Male, atoll. (The GoRM has said it was overwhelmed with
detainees in the immediate aftermath of August 12-13 and
could not put them all at Dhoonidhoo or Maafushi. There are
no more Girifushi detainees, according to the GoRM.) Both
Latheef sisters said they were subjected to kicks and punches
during the boat transit and threatened with being thrown into
the ocean. They were held on Girifushi for eight days during
which time, both said, they and other detainees were
handcuffed almost constantly ("if they took them off our
wrists, they put them on our ankles") and made to sleep on
the ground. They said their "aunt" had been "sexually
threatened" on Girifushi. (We have heard from a Sri Lankan
contact that Mohamed Latheef has stated some female prisoners
- not his daughters - were raped. We cannot confirm or deny
that allegation.)


18. (C) The Latheef sisters, descriptions of life on
Dhoonidhoo largely paralleled those of the Special Majlis
members. Neither reported physical abuse since their
arrival. Both women had received regular medical attention
(Jennifer said she had wrist problems from prolonged
handcuffing as well as leg and back pain from being kicked
and beaten and had asked to see a back specialist) and
adequate food. They said most of the female detainees were
sharing cells and that there was a limited number of female
guards ("some of the women who had abused us on Girifushi
were brought in for a while which we were not glad to see.")
The sisters had the same complaints about constant
confinement in small cells and the lack of intellectual
stimulation. They had received a visit from their brother
(detained with them on Girifushi but released after several
days there). Both said their infrequent sessions with
investigators had been largely devoid of substance ("we,re
here because of our father"). Jennifer said the notion that
she had been inciting violence was laughable. "The police
have the entire event on video. They can clearly see that I
was trying to calm the crowd down and keep it from attacking
the police station."

Aftermath of Dhoonidhoo Visit
--------------


19. (C) Before leaving Dhoonidhoo, the DCM shared his
observations with the warden and the police official present
during the interviews. While some basic human needs were
being met, it was clear that the cramped quarters and lack of
conversation and reading material were beginning to take a
toll. He urged that the detainees be allowed out of their
cells for regular exercise, be provided with regular reading
material and allowed visits and phone calls with their
children. Both said they would convey these observations to
their superiors. In phone conversations with Foreign
Secretary Zakariyya and Presidential spokesman Shaheed after

SIPDIS
returning to Colombo, the DCM made the same observations and
also passed along the general detainee frustration with the
slow pace of investigations. The DCM stressed that to his
layman,s eye it seemed clear that several of the prisoners
might be in need of psychological attention. Both officials
(neither of whom have ever been to Dhoonidhoo) expressed
appreciation for the observations and undertook to see what
could be done. The DCM called MDP leader Mohamed Latheef on
September 21 to share his observations about Latheef,s
daughters and to convey some messages. Latheef expressed his
appreciation for the U.S. concern.

Comment
--------------


20. (C) Things in Maldives seem to be at an impasse. The
officials with whom the DCM met acknowledge that the detainee
issue, aggravated by the Foreign Minister,s bungling of the
EU chief of missions visit, have put the country in a
terrible light. At the same time, they (especially the
young, energetic Attorney General) clearly passionately
believe that a serious attempt to topple the government was
afoot and that it must be carefully investigated. They
seemed receptive to the point that there must be some way to
alleviate conditions of detention while still conducting a
timely, thorough investigation. The Ambassador plans to
pursue these themes with President Gayoom in early October
(we are sorting out Gayoom,s availability).


21. (C) The accounts given by detainees to the DCM obviously
could have been influenced by the presence of government
officials. Indeed, we were reluctant to accept any
arrangement other than private interviews but went ahead
primarily so the detainees would be aware of U.S. and general
outside concern about their welfare (the EU and the Maldivian
Human Rights Commission have interviewed detainees under the
same arrangements as ours). None of the detained Special
Majlis members came across as anything but patriotic
Maldivians who want to see more democracy and transparency in
their society although, again, the presence of government
officials certainly could have served to stifle anti-Gayoom
sentiments. Nor did any of them appear to be serious coup
plotters or "fundamentalists" (although FM Jameel told DCM in
a brief conversation that he intends to present a memorandum
on fundamentalism when he visits Washington at the beginning
of October).


22. (C) As described above, conditions on Dhoonidhoo
appeared adequate in some areas with clear room for
improvement in others. It seems clear, however, that
detainees held temporarily on Girifushi were subject to abuse
and that some detainees also had a rough time in detention on
Male, immediately after their arrests. Government officials
seemed sincere in their concern about the welfare of the
Dhoonidhoo detainees (the GoRM willingness to let outsiders
see detainees and the decision to cooperate with the ICRC are
also encouraging). A useful bellwether may be whether the
Human Rights Commission press release on detainee abuse (full
text follows) ever sees the light of day in Male, (we have
heard it may have been released since our visit - we're
checking).


23. (C) Begin text of draft Maldivian Human Rights
Commission press release:

On 23rd August, 2004 a Commission team met 19 of the 59
detainees in Dhoonidhoo and 21 in Maafushi. Except in cells
where there were more than one detainee the meetings were
individually held. They were asked whether there was any
torture during and after apprehension, about food, about
medical care and other basic services. In Dhoonidhoo there
was video recording and several police officials present. In
Maafushi although camera was absent there were several police
officials present. Because of the police presence, and in
one island video recording, there is doubt about detainees
having said what they really wanted to say. It is likely
that they did not say what they wished to say to avoid
further trouble or penalty.

From what was said at these meetings, except in the arrest of
one special Majlis member, there were, generally, reports of
excessive use of force during apprehension, in the initial
detention in Male' blindfolding, handcuffing and ankle
cuffing in some instances. They reported while they were
held liked that there was hitting with batons, boots,
pinching pushing and some men's beards being pulled. In some
instances men and women reported sexual abuse. Extensive
verbal abuse reported. Some said while some of these were
being inflicted there were some officials pleading for
restraint. They also reported that while being transferred
to Girifushi in the night, at sea, although they were
strapped with life jackets, they were handcuffed, blindfolded
and the officials on board harassed them. They also reported
that some officials at Girifushi treated them kindly but when
they said this, some of those officials were present. When
the Commission team met them, all these detainees had already
been transferred from Girifushi to Dhoonidhoo and Maafushi
according to Police. In general, the conditions were
satisfactory. However in Maafushi the accommodation was bad
as most were kept four to a tiny cell. There was no
cross-ventilation in the cells and the surrounding high wall
trapped and increased the heat during the day. These cells
were unsuitable for keeping people.

The Commission noted that although there were several
detainees in Dhoonidhoo that there were no female guards
present. It also noted reports of some detainees being
diabetic, others having psychiatric problems and yet the
absence of permanent medical staff on the island. It also
noted that some cells had two detainees and there was
discrimination in the accommodation of the detainees.

The Commission expresses its concern about the torture during
the apprehension and after, while being kept in Male', and
wishes to state that these acts were inhumane.

The Commission recommends that there be an independent
inquiry into what took place during the arrests and what
happened after in detention.

End Text.
LUNSTEAD