An opposition leader in the Maldives has called on India to intervene after President Abdulla Yameen declared a 15-day state of emergency amid a deepening political crisis in the island nation.

Mohamed Nasheed, the country's exiled former president, urged neighbouring India on Tuesday to send "an envoy, backed by its military" to free two Supreme Court judges and a former president who were arrested in the capital Male after the emergency declaration.

"We are asking for a physical presence," Nasheed said in his appeal.

He also urged the United States to impose targeted sanctions on Yameen and his associates.

The Maldives, an Indian Ocean archipelago, was plunged into turmoil on February 1 when its Supreme Court issued a shock ruling that overturned terrorism convictions against nine of Yameen's opponents, including Nasheed, and ordered those in jail be freed.

Yameen defied the ruling and ignored calls from the United Nations, European Union, and foreign governments, including India and the US, to comply with it.

In a televised address on Tuesday, the president said he declared a state of emergency to investigate a "coup" against him.

Accusing Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and Judge Ali Hameed of corruption and judicial overreach, Yameen said the bench had deliberated on removing him and his attorney general, and discussed reinstating two police chiefs he had sacked over the weekend.

"I had to declare a state of emergency because I had no way to hold a judge of the Supreme Court accountable," he said. "I had to suspend [their immunity] to find out how thick this plot, this coup was."

The emergency decree gave security forces sweeping powers to make arrests and curtailed the authority of the judiciary.

Shortly after the emergency was announced on Monday, security forces stormed the Supreme Court building and arrested Saeed and Hameed. The remaining three judges on the top court bench were not detained.

Yameen's estranged half-brother, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has sided with the opposition, was also detained in the early hours of Tuesday.

Police also took Mohamed Nazim, a former defence minister who was under house imprisonment, into custody on Tuesday. Nazim was sentenced to 11-years in jail on weapons smuggling charges in 2015, and was among the nine whose release the top court had ordered last week.

Meanwhile, the parliament, where the opposition have a majority, remained suspended.

In his appeal on Tuesday, Nasheed, the former president, accused Yameen of declaring "martial law" in the Maldives.

"We must remove him from power," he said.

"We would also like the US government to ensure that US financial institutions stop all US$ financial transactions of the regime leaders in the Maldives," he added.

There was no immediate reaction from the US and India to Nasheed's appeal.

India's Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement on Tuesday, said it was "disturbed" by the state of emergency in the Maldives

The US meanwhile called for restraint.

"The Maldivian government and military must respect the rule of law, freedom of expression, and democratic institutions. The world is watching," the US National Security Council said in a Twitter post on Monday.

The UN, EU and UK have urged Yameen to revoke the emergency.

China, India, Australia and the US have issued travel advisories for the Maldives. </s> The archipelago was plunged into chaos on Thursday when the Supreme Court called for the release of 9 imprisoned opposition politicians.

Mohamed Nasheed, whose Maldivian Democratic Party functions from Colombo, asked for India's help. (Photo: AP)

Colombo: Exiled former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed Tuesday urged India to "act swiftly" to help in resolving the ongoing political crisis in the island nation that escalated after President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency and troops arrested the top judge of the country.

The archipelago was plunged into chaos on Thursday when the Supreme Court called for the release of nine imprisoned opposition politicians, ruling that their trials were politically motivated and flawed.

The government refused to implement the ruling, prompting a wave of protests in the capital, Male, with angry clashes between police and demonstrators.

Abdulla Yameen Monday declared a state of emergency. Within hours, Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and another judge, Ali Hameed, were arrested. No details were given about the investigation or any charges.

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has allied himself with the opposition, was detained at his home.

Mohamed Nasheed, whose Maldivian Democratic Party functions from Colombo, asked for India's help. He urged India to "act swiftly" to resolve the crisis.

"President Yameen's announcement which declares a state of emergency, the banning of fundamental freedoms, and the suspension of the Supreme Court is tantamount to a declaration of martial law in the Maldives. This declaration is unconstitutional and illegal. Nobody in the Maldives is required to, nor should, follow this unlawful order," Mr Nasheed said.

Also Read: Maldives: Political crisis deepens as govt warns SC against impeachment

Mohamed Nasheed also expressed concern over Yameen's deliberate delay in implementing the Supreme Court ruling to immediately release political prisoners.

"This deliberate refusal by the government to uphold the Constitution further destabilises the Maldives and wider Indian Ocean security," Mr Nasheed said.

Mohamed Nasheed, 50, the country's first democratically-elected leader -- was sentenced to 13 years in jail on terror charges in March 2015 over the arbitrary arrest of chief criminal judge Abdullah Muhammed during his presidency.

He was granted asylum in the UK after he was authorised to seek medical treatment there amid mounting foreign pressure.

Mr Nasheed was narrowly defeated in 2013 by President Yameen. He says his conviction on terror charges was politically motivated.

The Maldivian government holds that Mohamed Nasheed is convicted for a crime and is wanted in the Maldives to serve a jail sentence. Mr Nasheed said he will seek UN support to ensure he is allowed to contest. </s> Former Leader And Two Supreme Court Judges Arrested In Maldives State Of Emergency

The government of President Yameen Abdul Gayoom has arrested an opposition leader and two Supreme Court judges hours after declaring a 15-day state of emergency in the Indian Ocean country best known for its luxury tourist resorts.

The action escalates tensions after the nation's Supreme Court ordered the government to release nine jailed opposition leaders.

Opposition leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who also served as president between 1978 to 2008, has been charged with bribery and attempting to overthrow the government.

As The Associated Press reports:

"The 15-day emergency decree issued late Monday gives the government sweeping powers to make arrests, search and seize property and restricts freedom of assembly, officials said. "Soon after the declaration, security forces stormed into the Supreme Court building, where Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and judge Ali Hamid were arrested. The charges against them have not been specified. The whereabouts of the court's other two judges were not known Tuesday morning. "Since the surprise, unanimous ruling last week ordering the release of imprisoned opposition leaders, President Yameen Abdul Gayoom has lashed out at the court, opposition protests have spilled into the streets of the capital, Male, and soldiers in riot gear have stopped lawmakers from meeting in the parliament building."

The detained opposition leader, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, is the estranged half-brother of the current president Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports that the president's crackdown has tarnished the image, and no doubt the revenues, of the Maldives as an upmarket holiday destination and many parties are looking to India to pressure the government to ensure the rule of law.

In a statement, Department of State spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States "is troubled and disappointed" by reports of the state of emergency.

Another opposition leader, former President Mohamed Nasheed issue a statement from Sri Lanka denouncing President Yameen's state of emergency:

Nasheed, the Maldives first democratically elected leader, recently told the BBC that he plans to return from exile to contest elections. </s> The Maldives government has declared a state of emergency for 15 days amid a political crisis in the island nation.

The state of emergency gives security officials extra powers to arrest suspects, reports say.

The government has already suspended parliament and ordered the army to resist any moves by the Supreme Court to impeach President Abdulla Yameen.

The court had ordered the reinstatement of 12 MPs, which would see the opposition majority restored.

In a landmark decision, it also ruled the trial of ex-President Mohamed Nasheed unconstitutional.

Following the Supreme Court's decision on Friday, the government sacked the police commissioner who had pledged to enforce the court ruling.

It also ordered the detention of two opposition MPs who had returned to the Maldives, and warned that any court order to arrest the president for not complying with the Supreme Court ruling would be illegal.

Opposition MP Eva Abdulla said in a statement that the state of emergency was "a desperate move" that showed the government had "lost everything [including the] confidence of the people and institutions".

Mr Nasheed, who is currently in Sri Lanka, was the island's first democratically elected leader.

The Maldives has seen political unrest since he was convicted in 2015 under anti-terrorism laws for ordering the arrest of a judge. His conviction and 13-year sentence was internationally condemned, and he was given political asylum in the UK.

The Maldives previously declared a state of emergency in November 2015, after the government said it was investigating a plot to assassinate Mr Yameen.

That move also came two days before a planned protest by the country's main opposition, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

The Indian Ocean nation has been independent from Britain for 53 years. It was ruled for decades autocratically by then President Maumoon Abdul Gayhoom but became a multi-party democracy in 2008.

However since President Yameen took power in 2013 it has faced questions over freedom of speech, the detention of opponents and the independence of the judiciary.

The nation is made up of 26 coral atolls and 1,192 individual islands, and is popular among foreigners as a luxury tourist destination. </s> MALE (Reuters) - Maldives police arrested former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on Monday, his spokesman Abdul Aleem told Reuters, hours after President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency for 15 days, in an escalation of a legal battle with the archipelago’s top court.

Gayoom, who is Yameen’s half-brother and ruled the country for 30 years until 2008, was arrested at his residence, along with his son-in-law. Yameen has defied a Supreme Court ruling ordering jailed opposition leaders to be freed, including Gayoom’s son Farish, an opposition lawmaker. </s> As political crisis deepens in the Maldives, President Abdulla Yameen on Tuesday stated that the emergency decree is to investigate the plot and coup behind the Supreme Court ruling, news agency AP reported. The crisis had worsened Monday when President Yameen declared a state of emergency and, within hours of the emergency declaration, two top judges, Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and another judge, Ali Hameed, were arrested.

Earlier on Tuesday, exiled former President Mohamed Nasheed sought for India’s diplomatic and military intervention to resolve the ongoing issue. Nasheed, the president of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which functions from Colombo, appealed for help from India. A statement issued by the party in Colombo said, “We would like the Indian government to send an envoy, backed by its military, to free the judges and the political detainees, including former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, from their detention and to bring them to their homes. We are asking for a physical presence.”

Violence erupted in the capital, Male, after President Abdulla Yameen defied Supreme Court orders to release nine imprisoned opposition politicians, ruling that their trials were politically motivated and flawed.

Stating the martial law as illegal, Nasheed was quoted by PTI as saying: “President Yameen’s announcement — which declares a state of emergency, the banning of fundamental freedoms, and the suspension of the Supreme Court — is tantamount to a declaration of martial law in the Maldives. This declaration is unconstitutional and illegal. Nobody in the Maldives is required to, nor should, follow this unlawful order.”

Urging the US to stop all transactions of the Yameen regime’s leaders, the exiled leader added, “We must remove him from power. The people of the Maldives have a legitimate request to world governments, especially to India and the United States.”

Expressing concerns over Yameen’s delay in implementing the Supreme Court ruling to immediately release political prisoners, Nasheed had earlier said, “This deliberate refusal by the government to uphold the Constitution further destabilises the Maldives and wider Indian Ocean security.”

Meanwhile, the US on Tuesday commenting on the ongoing political chaos in the island nation said that it was ‘troubled and disappointed’ and has asked President Yameen to implement the Supreme Court ruling. A report in PTI quoted State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert saying, “The US is troubled and disappointed by reports that Maldivian President Yameen has declared a state of emergency.”

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App </s> The former president of Maldives on Tuesday called on the United States and India to intervene in the ongoing crisis in the island nation.

Mohamed Nasheed made the request following several arrests in overnight, and President Abdulla Yameen's decision to declare a state of emergency.

"On behalf of Maldivian people we humbly request" the US "to stop all financial transactions of Maldives regime leaders going through US banks," Nasheed wrote on his Twitter account.

He also requested India provide "a physical presence" and to "send envoys, backed by its military" for the release of judges and political detainees including former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, president Yameen's half-brother, who has also been arrested.

The police have also arrested Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and other Supreme Court judges.

On Monday, the Maldives government declared a state of emergency for 15 days amid mounting tension due to Yameen's decision to defy a Supreme Court ruling.

On Feb. 1, the country's top court passed a ruling reinstating 12 lawmakers and dropping the charges against nine opposition politicians, including Nasheed.

It also ordered the release of the nine political prisoners, after concluding that "criminal proceedings were conducted based on political motivations (...) and the rulings were given subject to undue influence over judiciary and the prosecutor."

The president initially said he would abide by the order but on Monday he asked the highest judicial body to revoke its decision, saying it would potentially lead to an undermining of the supremacy of the constitution, which the court refused.

Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected leader, was jailed over charges related to ordering the arrest of a judge during his tenure, a controversial process that his party insists was plagued with irregularities.

The former president is currently in Colombo although he has been living in exile in London since May 2016. </s> The political crisis in the Maldives deepened this week after embattled President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency and ordered the arrest of top judges and a former president.

The upmarket holiday paradise does not often find itself in the news but a shock Supreme Court decision last week ordering the release of top opposition politicians has triggered a furious response from authoritarian ruler Yameen.

How will the latest round of political strife play out in the Indian Ocean archipelago?

Yameen, who came to power in 2013, has presided over an escalating crackdown on dissent that has battered the Maldives' reputation. He has jailed almost all the political opposition.

The Maldives was plunged into fresh chaos this week after the president refused to comply with the Supreme Court's Thursday order to release nine dissidents and restore the seats of 12 legislators sacked for defecting from Yameen's party.

The Supreme Court ruling gives the opposition the majority in the assembly - meaning they could potentially impeach the president.

In a stunning blow to the regime, it also paves the way for exiled former president Mohamed Nasheed - the first democratically elected leader who was controversially convicted of terrorism in 2015 - to return and run for president this year.

On Monday, Yameen sent soldiers to storm the court and arrest judges, with Maldives police also detaining Yameen's estranged half-brother and former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had sided with the main opposition.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the court complex and police used pepper spray to disperse the crowds.

Where do the security forces stand?

The head of the armed forces is publicly backing Yameen.

"The Maldives military will not standby and watch Maldives go in to a crisis," military chief Ahmed Shiyam said Sunday, warning he would not obey "unlawful orders" from the Supreme Court.

But as ex-president Gayoom - who ruled for 30 years until 2008 elections - was led out of his house, riot police saluted him, according to the local Maldives Independent website, and analysts have warned his arrest could split the security forces as he still commands deep respect.

The emergency declaration gives sweeping powers to security forces to arrest and detain individuals, curtails the powers of the judiciary and bars parliament from impeaching Yameen.

The opposition says it shows Yameen is "desperate" and Nasheed, who has previously expressed fears of unrest in the troubled Indian Ocean nation, said it amounted to imposing martial law.

Yameen has drawn close to China and Saudi Arabia during his time in office, with both countries investing heavily in the tiny tourist archipelago in the Indian Ocean, and may feel he has enough support to weather the storm.

How did we get here?

Mohamed Nasheed became the country's first democratically elected president in 2008 and swiftly became an international celebrity because of his urgent pleas to address climate change. He held a cabinet meeting underwater to highlight the low-lying archipelago's plight.

The country has been locked in a slow-burn political crisis since Yameen won a controversial run-off against Nasheed in 2013 presidential elections.

During his time in power "President Yameen has systematically alienated his coalition, jailed or exiled every major opposition political figure, deprived elected Members of Parliament of their right to represent their voters... revised laws to erode human rights (and fired) any officials who refuse orders," the US State Department said.

What about the tourists?

The tensions have already hurt the tourism industry - the largest contributor to the country's economy - despite government assurances that visitors are safe.

China - the number one source of tourists for the Maldives - and neighbouring India have already warned their national to defer all non-essential travel, and the UK and the US have warned their nationals to exercise caution in Male.

In 2015, when the government declared a state of emergency because of fears of terrorism, tourist booking plummeted which hit economic growth hard.

Nearly 1.4 million foreigners visited the Maldives last year, up from 1.28 million the previous year.

What happens next?

All eyes are on the security forces to see what will happen now that Gayoom is in detention, and whether further street protests will break out despite the state of emergency.

Nasheed has already said he will run again in elections scheduled for this year and has called for regional super power India to intervene.

Yameen, who has previously faced several unsuccessful opposition attempts to impeach him for alleged corruption, looks determined to fight off all challenges to his rule

Opposition legislators have also called on the international community to pressure Yameen. </s> The Maldives government has declared a 15-day state of emergency as the political crisis deepened over a stand-off between the president and the supreme court in the Indian Ocean nation.

A surprise supreme court ruling last week ordering the release of imprisoned opposition leaders has led to growing turmoil, with the president lashing out at the court, opposition protests spilling into the streets of the capital, Male, and soldiers in riot gear deployed to the parliament building to stop MPs from entering.

The extent of the emergency order is not immediately clear.

President Yameen Abdul Gayoom said on state television: "During this time, though certain rights will be restricted, general movements, services and businesses will not be affected."

Opposition protests spilling into the streets of the capital, Male.

Exiled former president Mohammed Nasheed - Mr Yameen's main political rival - is among the people who were ordered released by the court.

Mr Yameen, in a letter to the court released by his office earlier on Monday, said the order had encroached on the powers of the state and was an "infringement of national security and public interest". He urged the court to "review the concerns" of the government.

Officials said the court had not properly responded to a series of letters citing problems with implementing the order, including that the cases against the political prisoners are at different legal stages. A supreme court statement on Sunday said "there are no obstacles in implementing the ruling ... and that this has been informed to the prosecutor general's office".

The supreme court ruled that the politicians' guilty verdicts had been politically influenced. The ruling has led to protests by opposition supporters urging the government to obey the order.

The United Nations and several foreign governments, including the United States, have urged the Maldives to respect the court order.

Mr Nasheed has been living in exile in the UK since 2016 after being granted asylum when he travelled there on medical leave from prison.

In addition to ordering the release of the political prisoners, the court also reinstated 12 MPs who had been ousted for switching allegiance to the opposition. When those MPs return, Mr Yameen's Progressive Party of the Maldives will lose its majority in the 85-member parliament, which could result in the legislative body functioning as a rival power to the president.

Known for its luxury tourist resorts, the Maldives became a multi-party democracy 10 years ago after decades of autocratic rule by the current president's half-brother, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

But the nation lost much of its democratic gains after Mr Yameen, who has maintained a tight grip on power, was elected in 2013. He had been set to run for re-election this year virtually unopposed, with all of his opponents either jailed or exiled.

On Friday, Mr Nasheed said he would mount a fresh challenge for the presidency this year. Mr Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in prison after he was convicted under the Maldives' anti-terror laws. The trial was widely condemned by international rights groups.
The President of the Maldives, Abdulla Yameen, declares a 15-day state of emergency. Security forces storm the Supreme Court of the Maldives in a bid to block the court-ordered release of jailed opposition politicians. Police arrest former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.