Mohamed Ameen, who was convicted of associating with a terrorist organisation and conspiring to commit an act of terrorism, has filed an appeal against the Criminal Court’s 27-year jail sentence.
The state charged Ameen with joining the Islamic State (IS), recruiting Maldivians to participate as fighters in the war in Syria, and conspiring to commit an act of terrorism. He was convicted and sentenced to 27 years in prison late last year. Ameen has now appealed the decision at the High Court, but the court has not yet made a determination on accepting or rejecting the case.
Ameen’s trial was held in secret due to security concerns, and as such, clear details of the trial have not been released to the media. What is know is that he was sentenced to 27 years in prison, but, given time spent incarcerated over the duration of investigations and the trial, he will have to serve a remainder of 23 years in prison.
Ameen was also accused in the 2007 Sultan Park bombings and arrested under an Interpol red notice while abroad. He was however later released in 2021.
According to the United States’ (US) terror watchlist, Ameen is a senior member of the Islamic State (IS) operating in Syria and Afghanistan — the US accuses Ameen of being, among other terror activities, a recruiter for IS.
