US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO1582

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, Maldives 
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