Former Supreme Court Justice Husnu Al Suood has filed a complaint with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), accusing the Maldivian government of threatening judges in an attemot to seize control of the country’s top court.
Suood, who resigned earlier this month, alleged that President Mohamed Muizzu and Attorney General Ahmed Usham pressured Supreme Court judges to block a case challenging a recently passed constitutional amendment that allows political parties to disqualify sitting MPs — a move critics argue could undermine parliamentary independence.
In his filing, Suood said that he, along with Justices Mahaz Ali and Aishath Azmiralda Zahir, was suspended to prevent the court from hearing the case. The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) suspended the judges on the grounds that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is investigating criminal allegations against them. However, the commission has not disclosed details of the investigations.
The JSC — the judicial oversight body — is also investigating separate disciplinary complaints against Justices Azmiralda and Mahaz. These include allegations that they used their influence to seek the release of Azmiralda’s husband and mishandled a case while on the bench, during which the High Court administrator was spoken to in a patronising manner.
Suood’s complaint to the OHCHR argued that the independence of the judiciary is undermined by political figures within the JSC. The former judge noted that successive governments since 2013 promised to reform the commission’s composition but failed to do so, instead using it as a political tool to control the courts.
Suood requested the UN human rights chief to urge the Maldivian government to lift the judges’ suspensions and immediately halt any efforts to remove them.