In the constitution of the Maldives, there is no direct mentioning of Humanitarian Law. In fact, certain rights that American citizens would feel are very important in our society are not protected in the Maldives. For example, journalism in the Maldives has tighter regulations with journalists being forced to reveal sources in certain circumstances. Another example is how the Maldivian police force handles conflicts and protests. In 2016, the Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom made the first amendment to the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly act so that assemblies must be held with the written permission of police or in designated areas. Now, many protestors face police harassment which the police justify using the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly Act, as many of these protests do not have governmental consent. This is in comparison to Western states, who’s citizens are able to assemble and peacefully protest without the permission of the government. That being said, it is not as if these Western countries are without their problems when it comes to police brutality and the handling of protests, especially in the United States of America.
Otherwise, human rights in the Maldives are not as explicitly protected by the government because of the government’s corruption in its politics and in its judicial forces. However, this is not a unique situation to the Maldives. On the other hand, the Maldives is different from Western countries when it comes to their religious freedoms. The country does not allow citizenship for nonmuslim people, and this exclusivity might allow for discrimination and lack of representation for those who live in the Maldives but are not considered citizens.
When discussing humanitarian rights in the Maldives, we cannot overlook the 1962 forced depopulation of the Thinadhoo by the Maldives government. The people of the island had their homes destroyed and then their people imprisoned and/or sent away. This was ordered by the prime minister of the time Ibrahim Nasir. The Maldivian government has since offered an apology and the Thinadhoo have begun their repopulation of the island.
