MALDIVES: OPPOSITION FIGURE'S DAUGHTER SENTENCED

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001824

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SA/INS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/17/2015
TAGS: PGOV PHUM MV
SUBJECT: MALDIVES: OPPOSITION FIGURE'S DAUGHTER SENTENCED
TO TEN YEARS

REF: COLOMBO 1716

Classified By: AMB. JEFFREY J. LUNSTEAD. REASON: 1.4 (B,D).


1. (U) Jennifer Latheef, daughter of Maldivian Democratic
Party (MDP) Spokesman Mohamed Latheef, was sentenced by the
Criminal Court on October 18 to 10 years in prison on
terrorism charges. The charges stemmed from Jennifer's
participation in a September 2003 demonstration in Male'
protesting the death of a detainee in prison. She pleaded
not guilty to all charges. Although her trial ended in July
2004, the verdict and sentence were handed down only
today--after an inexplicable 14-month delay. Four other
suspects were given sentences of between ten and eleven years
in the same case.


2. (SBU) Mohamed Latheef, who lives in self-imposed exile
in Colombo, alleged to poloff in an October 18 conversation
that the charges against his daughter were fabricated by the
Government of Republic of Maldives (GORM) as a way of getting
back at him. According to Latheef, the government's case
against his daughter consisted of police "eyewitness"
statements--including one from an officer who admitted he had
his back turned at the time--that Jennifer had thrown a stone
at a police constable and another statement from an
eyewitness that Jennifer was observed in heated conversation
with the driver of a police vehicle that was later set on
fire by protesters. (Note: Six of the seven prosecution
witnesses against Jennifer were policemen.) Although the
GORM alleged the stone-throwing resulted in "grievous bodily
injury" to the constable, it produced no evidence, such as a
medical report, to back up that claim, Latheef contended.
Other opposition activists agreed with Latheef's assessment,
noting that Jennifer was originally released from custody in
November 2003 and told no charges would be filed against her.
After her father moved to Sri Lanka and began vocally
opposing the GORM from there in April 2004, however, a case
against her was filed two months later.


3. (SBU) Poloff's efforts to reach the Attorney General's
office on October 18 were unsuccessful. Chief Government
Spokesman Mohamed Shareef, however, confirmed the sentence to
us, explaining that the terrorism charge was based on
eyewitness accounts that Jennifer Latheef had assaulted a
police officer, necessitating that he be airlifted to Colombo
for medical treatment, and had instigated acts of arson
against the Elections Office, a police vehicle and a police
post. When asked if other evidence besides the statements of
eyewitnesses had been submitted, Shareef said that he
believed that videotapes of the protest had been offered as
evidence, although he stopped short of saying that the
videotapes captured Jennifer Latheef actually engaged in any
acts of terrorism.


4. (SBU) Shareef maintained that the GORM had taken special
pains to ensure the fairness of Jennifer Latheef's trial.
For example, in an effort to allow public access to the
proceedings, the GORM had rented out a large auditorium to
accommodate spectators. Second, an "independent"
investigation had been conducted by a group of "eminent
persons" not subject to pressure from the executive branch,
he averred. Third, Latheef had access to legal counsel
throughout the course of the proceedings.


5. (C) Comment: We have not reviewed the evidence against
Latheef, but past experience suggests that the GORM applies
terrorism charges against a wide range of activities it finds
distasteful, such as opposition protests. When the
Ambassador met Attorney General Dr. Hassan Saeed in Male' on
September 27 (Reftel),the AG said that he believed that
Mohamed Nasheed, the detained chairman of the MDP, was very
close to coming to an "understanding" with the GORM about the
seriousness of the charges he faces. The 14-month gap
between the trial and the verdict/sentencing, as well as the
harshness of the sentence, could be an effort by the GORM to
apply pressure on Nasheed to cut a deal with the prosecution.
LUNSTEAD