Two youth protest leaders have been formally charged over a May demonstration demanding justice for Hawwa Yumnu Rasheed, 21, who was seriously injured after falling from the ninth floor of a residential building in Malé.
Abdulla Mahzoom Majid has been charged with assaulting or injuring a police officer, while Aishath Shiman faces charges of intentionally obstructing the duties of a law enforcement officer.
The protest followed a widely publicised incident in which Yumnu was found lying injured on a rooftop, after falling from a building where she had gone following a drug-and alcohol-fuelled party. It has been confirmed that children of senior government officials were present at the party, which took place earlier that night at a separate location.
Court documents state that the basic sentence for Mahzoom’s charge is one year, seven months and six days in jail, with a maximum penalty of up to four years. For Shiman, the basic sentence is four months and 24 days, with a maximum of one year in prison.
Police said the protest was dispersed due to disruptions caused to nearby businesses and students sitting A Level examinations at the time.
However, Mahzoom and Shiman were reportedly demonstrating peacefully and posed no threat, according to legal experts and eyewitnesses. Both were arrested with alleged excessive force and sustained injuries during the arrest.
They were held for several days before being released.
The charges have drawn criticism from legal experts, and youth activists, who continue to call for accountability and transparency in both the investigation into Yumnu’s fall and the state’s handling of peaceful protests.