Source: http://www.deathpenaltyworldwide.org/country-search-post.cfm?country=Maldives
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 04:58:03+00:00

Document:
BBC, Country Profile: Maldives, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12653770, May 23, 2013.
 U.N., Composition of macro geographical (continental) regions, geographical sub-regions, and selected economic and other groupings, https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm, Oct. 31, 2013.
 Amnesty Intl., Death Sentences and Executions in 2013, ACT 50/001/2014, Mar. 2014.
 World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, Maldives, http://www.worldcoalition.org/Maldives, Apr. 2, 2011.
 Mohamed Naahee, PPM submits amendment to make enforcement of death penalty mandatory, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/ppm-submits-amendment-to-make-enforcement-of-death-penalty-mandatory-35044, Apr. 10, 2012.
 Amnesty Intl., Death Sentences and Executions in 2013, ACT 50/001/2014, Mar. 2014..
 CNN, Children could get death penalty as Maldives brings back executions, http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/01/world/asia/maldives-death-penalty/, May 1, 2014.
 Muizzu Ibrahim, Maldives to use lethal injection for execution, Haveeru, http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/53390, Jan. 23, 2014.
 Amnesty Intl., Maldives: Halt plans to carry out first execution in more than six decades, ASA 29/4364/2016, Jun. 30, 2016.
 Minivan News, Suitcase murder victim’s family request death penalty during court hearing, http://minivannews.com/news-in-brief/suitcase-murder-victims-family-request-death-penalty-during-court-hearing-19848, May 4, 2011.
A regulation entitled Regulation on Investigation & Execution of Sentence for Willful Murder was adopted on April 27, 2014 and provides for the use of the death penalty in cases of intentional homicide and premeditated murder.  Reports indicate that the Regulation was formulated under the Police Act and the Clemency Act.  We were unable to locate an English translation of the Regulation.
Before the 2014 regulation, sources did not agree on the appropriate punishment for murder. Section 88(d) of the Penal Code prescribes the Shariah punishment where a public servant fails to obey a lawful order and such failure results in death of a person.  Courts used section 88(d) to apply the death penalty against security officers who, due to abuse of a person in custody, caused his death—which might align with the statutory language.  But courts also pronounced death sentences under this provision of the Code for individuals with no public duty that were found guilty of murder. In 2010, one court stated that under section 88(d) a murderer “shall be executed” unless one of the victim’s heirs gives up the right of qisas.  In another case, a trial judge summoned heirs of the victim and offered them a choice between accepting blood money or qisas and, when the heirs chose the latter, the convicts were immediately sentenced to death.  The pronouncement of 13 additional death sentences in 2013,  before the enactment of the 2014 regulation, lends further support to the conclusion that courts in the Maldives often interpreted section 88(d) of the Penal Code to mean murder was punishable by death in spite of the Code’s narrow language.
The Republic of Maldives operates on codified and Shariah law, and the Penal Code supports Shariah penalties not explicitly defined in the Code.  Under Shariah law, the death penalty is the punishment of a murderer and he is to be killed in retaliation (qisas) unless the victim’s next of kin pardons him.  However, the Maldives did not always construe Shariah law to apply an expansive death penalty,  and the President typically commuted death sentences to life imprisonment.  The 2014 regulation codifying the implementation of the death penalty in intentional homicide and premeditated murder cases will have an immediate impact on the way in which the Maldives practices the death penalty: regulatory steps codifying the means by which execution can be obtained could encourage its use and preference over imprisonment.
We did not find any information on whether there is a mandatory death penalty for offenses other than intentional homicide and premeditated murder.
There is no mandatory death penalty for murder.  We did not find any specific information on whether there is a mandatory death penalty for offenses other than intentional homicide and premeditated murder, but we believe it likely that the courts exercise the same sentencing discretion.
 Eurasia Review, Maldives Lifts Moratorium as Death Penalty Declines, http://www.eurasiareview.com/12052014-maldives-lifts-moratorium-death-penalty-declines-analysis/, last accessed May 12, 2014. U.N. News Centre, Maldives should repeal new regulation providing for death penalty, says UN rights office, http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47680#.U3JCzq1dWzA, Apr. 29, 2014.
 Ahmed Rilwan, Death penalty can be implemented starting today: Home Minister, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/death-penalty-can-be-implemented-starting-today-home-minister-83666, Apr. 27, 2014.
 Ahmed Nazeer, Criminal Court issues death sentence in gang murder case, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/society/criminal-court-issues-death-sentence-in-gang-murder-case-13553, Nov. 23, 2010.
 Paul H. Robinson et al., Codifying Shari'a: International Norms, Legality & the Freedom to Invent New Forms, p. 3-4, American Journal of Comparative Law, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2007 (U of Penn Law School, Public Law Working Paper No. 06-26, available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=941443). Note that the death penalty might be prescribed in another article, such as 16, 41(b) or 60—the author of the model code did not specify.
 Mohamed S. El-Awa, Punishment in Islamic Law: A Comparative Study, p. 75, American Trust Publications, 1982. Note that for the Hanafi school, the death penalty could be awarded as tazir for a murder committed without use of means particularly likely to result in death. Id. at p. 109.
 Maldives Penal Code, art 88(d), Law No. 1/81, Jan. 1, 1967.
 Ahmed Nazeer, Criminal Court issues death sentence in gang murder case, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/society/criminal-court-issues-death-sentence-in-gang-murder-case-13553, Nov. 23, 2010. Attorney General’s Office, Republic of the Maldives, AGO Newsletter, p. 5, http://www.agoffice.gov.mv/pdf/newsletters/5.pdf, Apr. 12, 2005.
 Muizzu Ibrahim, Murrath, Hana sentenced to death for Najeeb’s murder, Haveeru, http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/43523, July 19, 2012.
 U.N.G.A. Human Rights Council, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Gabriela Knaul, p. 9, U.N. Doc. A/HRC/23/43/Add.3, May 21, 2013. Paul H. Robinson et al., Final Report of the Maldivian Penal Law & Sentencing Codification Project, https://www.law.upenn.edu/fac/phrobins/draftislamicpenalcode/Fina%20ReportMPLSCPvol1.pdf, Jan. 2006.
 Paul H. Robinson et al., Codifying Shari'a: International Norms, Legality & the Freedom to Invent New Forms, p. 17, American Journal of Comparative Law, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2007 (U of Penn Law School, Public Law Working Paper No. 06-26, available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=941443).
 Maldives Prevention of Terrorism Act, art. 6(a), Law No. 10 of 1990, Dec. 9, 1990.
 Maldives Penal Code, arts. 36-37, Law No. 1/81, Jan. 1, 1967.
 Maldives Penal code, arts. 2, 7, 15, Law No. 1/81, Jan. 1, 1967.
 Mohamed Naahee, Criminal Procedure Code to be completed by end of week: MP Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/society/criminal-procedure-code-to-be-completed-by-end-of-week-mp-moosa-%E2%80%98reeko%E2%80%99-manik-45355, Oct. 14, 2012.
 To confirm this, review the model code, along with commentary on the law as practiced, prepared by Paul H. Robinson et al., Codifying Shari'a: International Norms, Legality & the Freedom to Invent New Forms, p. 1, American Journal of Comparative Law, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2007 (U of Penn Law School, Public Law Working Paper No. 06-26, available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=941443).
 International Commission against the Death Penalty, The death penalty and the “most serious crimes,” p. 7, http://www.icomdp.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Most-serious-crimes_final_6Feb2013.pdf, Jan. 2013.
 When the State Kills, email to DPW, DPW Maldives Doc. E-1, May 25, 2014. Aljazeera, Maldives teenager could face death penalty, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2014/05/maldives-teenager-could-face-death-penalty-201452345910586561.html, May 23, 2014.
 When the State Kills, email to DPW, DPW Maldives Doc. E-1, May 25, 2014.
 When the State Kills, email to DPW, DPW Maldives Doc. E-1, May 25, 2014. Aljazeera, Maldives teenager could face death penalty, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2014/05/maldives-teenager-could-face-death-penalty-201452345910586561.html, May 23, 2014. Ahmed Rilwan, Death penalty can be implemented starting today: Home Minister, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/death-penalty-can-be-implemented-starting-today-home-minister-83666, Apr. 27, 2014.
 Status, Declarations, and Reservations, Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1577 U.N.T.S. 3, Nov. 20, 1989, http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-11&chapter=4〈=en, last accessed May 9, 2014. U.N. Human Rights Committee, Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 40 of the Covenant, p. 2, CCPR/C/MDV/1, Mar. 4, 2011.
 Amnesty Intl., Maldives must commute death sentences for two juvenile offenders convicted of murder, http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/maldives-must-commute-death-sentences-two-juvenile-offenders-convicted-murder-2013-05-03, May 3, 2013.
 Constitution of the Republic of Maldives, arts. 16, 68, Aug. 7, 2008, translation: Ms. Dheena Hussain LLB. (Hons), (Birmingham), LLM. (London), Barrister-at-Law (Lincoln’s Inn), at the Request of the Ministry of Legal Reform, Information and Arts.
 Euan McKirdy, Children could get death penalty as Maldives brings back executions, CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/01/world/asia/maldives-death-penalty/, May 1, 2014. Muizzu Ibrahim, Two 18 year olds sentenced to death for Bobby’s murder, Haveeru, http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/48773, May 2, 2013.
 Euan McKirdy, Children could get death penalty as Maldives brings back executions, CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/01/world/asia/maldives-death-penalty/, May 1, 2014.
 Zaheena Rasheed, Three minors charged in gang murder, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/crime-2/three-minors-charged-in-gang-murder-85212, May 20, 2014.
 The Malay Mail Online, Maldives condemned for sentencing minor to death, http://www.themalaymailonline.com/print/world/maldives-condemned-for-sentencing-minor-to-death, May 22, 2014.
 Daniel Bosley, Former home minister questions government’s sincerity regarding death penalty, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/former-home-minister-questions-governments-sincerity-over-death-penalty-85394, May 22, 2014.
 Kamran Hasemi, Religious Legal Traditions, Muslim States and the Convention on the Rights of the Child: An Essay on the Relevant UN Documentation, Human Rights Quarterly, Volume 29, Number 1, pp. 198-200, http://musejhuedu.hs3esdk.ru/journals/human_rights_quarterly/v029/29.1hashemi.pdf, Feb. 2008.
 U.N. News Centre, Maldives should repeal new regulation providing for death penalty, says UN rights office, http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47680#.U3DyWK1dWzA, Apr. 30, 2014.
 Ahmen Rilwan, Death penalty can be implemented starting today: Home Minister, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/death-penalty-can-be-implemented-starting-today-home-minister-83666, Apr. 27, 2014.
 Constitution of the Republic of Maldives, arts. 16, 21, Aug. 7, 2008, translated by: Ms. Dheena Hussain LLB. (Hons), (Birmingham), LLM. (London), Barrister-at-Law (Lincoln’s Inn), At the Request of the Ministry of Legal Reform, Information and Arts.
 Maldives Penal Code, art. 24, Law No. 1/81, Jan. 1, 1967.
 M. Cherif Bassiouni, ed., The Islamic Criminal Justice System, p. 186-187, Oceana Publications, Inc., 1982. See also S. Mahmassani, Falsafat Al-Tashri Fi Al-Islam, p. 174, translated by Farhat J. Ziadeh, E.J. Brill, 1961. Muhammad Abdel Haleem, Adel Omar Sherif & Kate Daniels, eds., Criminal Justice in Islam: Judicial Procedure in the Shari’a, p. 46-47, I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd., 2003.
 M. Cherif Bassiouni, ed., The Islamic Criminal Justice System, p. 187, 192, Oceana Publications, Inc., 1982. Note that some scholars differ, offering no legal explanation (unlike the previous source) and stating that the ability to discriminate between good and evil is the main requirement in determining liability for an intellectually disabled individual. Nagaty Sanad, The Theory of Crime and Criminal Responsibility in Islamic Law: Shari’a, p. 91, Office of International Criminal Justice, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1991.
 Constitution of the Republic of Maldives, arts. 16, 21, Aug. 7, 2008, translation: Ms. Dheena Hussain LLB. (Hons), (Birmingham), LLM. (London), Barrister-at-Law (Lincoln’s Inn), At the Request of the Ministry of Legal Reform, Information and Arts.
 Status, Declarations, and Reservations, ICCPR, 999 U.N.T.S. 171, Dec. 16, 1966, http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-4&chapter=4〈=en, last accessed May 9, 2014.
 Status, Declarations, and Reservations, Optional Prot. to the ICCPR, 999 U.N.T.S. 171, Dec. 16, 1966, http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-5&chapter=4〈=en, last accessed May 9, 2014.
 Status, Declarations, and Reservations, Second Optional Prot. to the ICCPR, Aiming at the Abolition of the Death Penalty, 1642 U.N.T.S. 414, Dec. 15, 1989, http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-12&chapter=4〈=en, last accessed May 9, 2014.
Recent practices indicate that the Maldives does not hesitate to seek the death penalty for juveniles. In 2013, two juveniles were sentenced to death in relation to a murder committed while they were under age 18.  In May 2014, after the implementation of the regulation enabling the death penalty in willful homicide and premeditated murder cases, a 16-year-old was charged with a gang-related murder.  One report indicates that the 16-year-old charged with murder was convicted,  but whether this juvenile will be sentenced to death remains unknown.
In 2011, the Maldives responded to U.N. Human Rights Council recommendations on the death penalty by noting that it was not ready to abolish the death penalty, but that it was committed to maintaining its moratorium.  The 2014 expedited system for the implementation of the death penalty in willful homicide and premeditated murder cases significantly changes the death penalty landscape in the Maldives and evidences a drastic shift from the Maldives’ asserted stance in 2011.
Current President Abdulla Yameen, however, called for death penalty implementation “to save Maldivian society from murders that have become too commonplace” and expressed his belief that “murder has to be punished with murder.”  A 2014 regulation implemented procedures for putting the death penalty into practice in willful homicide and premeditated murder cases.  The regulation provides that the death penalty is appropriate in cases of intentional homicide or premeditated murder when delivered or affirmed by the Supreme Court.  In accordance with Shariah principles, a victim’s family will be given an opportunity to pardon the convict.  This regulation will have an immediate impact on the way in which the Maldives practices the death penalty: regulatory steps codifying the means by which execution can be obtained could encourage its use and preference over imprisonment.
The website of the Supreme Court includes a section on judicial decisions, available in Dhivehi, the national language of the Maldives, at http://www.supremecourt.gov.mv. The links on the English-language version of the website were not functioning as of May 2014 (http://www.supremecourt.gov.mv/eng/?decision=eng).
Judicial decisions may also be available on the High Court’s website, available at http://www.highcourt.gov.mv/dhi/index.php#. Unfortunately, the translation link was down as of May 2014.
Three amendments to the Act proposing to limit the presidential clemency power have been introduced in Parliament.  These amendments, proposed throughout 2011 and 2013, sought to require the President to enforce a death sentence if issued by the Supreme Court or issued by a lower court and affirmed by the Supreme Court.  At present, none of the amendments have been passed into law.  But the President’s clemency power, which was traditionally used to commute death sentences in the Maldives before 2010,  appears to have fallen out of favor since that time.
In 2012, private individuals asked the High Court to decide whether the President’s power to grant clemency was unconstitutional.  Under the Constitution, the victim’s heirs have the power to pardon convicts and the death penalty is only enforced with unanimous consent of all heirs.  Therefore, individuals argued that the President’s power to grant clemency defies Shariah law and the Constitution by allowing the President to decide the matter rather than the heirs and should be void as a consequence of such violation.  We were unable to find the High Court’s decision on that constitutional challenge.
 Constitution of the Republic of Maldives, arts. 16, 21, 54, Aug. 7, 2008, translation: Ms. Dheena Hussain LLB. (Hons), (Birmingham), LLM. (London), Barrister-at-Law (Lincoln’s Inn), at the Request of the Ministry of Legal Reform, Information and Arts.
 Constitution of the Republic of Maldives, arts. 16, 68, 189-193, Aug. 7, 2008, translation: Ms. Dheena Hussain LLB. (Hons), (Birmingham), LLM. (London), Barrister-at-Law (Lincoln’s Inn), at the Request of the Ministry of Legal Reform, Information and Arts.
 MPs urge to implement Islamic Shari’a, call for “death for death,” Haveeru Online, http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/32164, Oct. 4, 2010.
 Ahmen Naish, Government will enforce death penalty, declares President Yameen, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/goverment-will-enforce-death-penalty-declares-president-yameen-79929, Mar. 14, 2014.
 ICCPR, art. 6(4), 999 U.N.T.S. 171, Dec. 16, 1966.
 U.N.G.A. Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review: Maldives, para. 100(6), 100(55-57), U.N. Doc. A/HRC/16/7, Jan. 4, 2011. U.N.G.A Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review: Maldives, Views on conclusions and/or recommendations, voluntary commitments and replies presented by the state under review, para. 100(6), 100(55-57), U.N. Doc. A/HRC/16/7/Add.1, Mar. 14, 2011.
 Community of Sant’Egidio, President Nasheed Against the Death Penalty in New Criminal Code, http://nodeathpenalty.santegidio.org/news.aspx?ln=en&id=14&n=13801, Oct. 29, 2009.
 Leah Malone, “Murder has to be punished with murder”: Yameen calls for death penalty to be put into practice, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/murder-has-to-be-punished-with-murder-yameen-calls-for-death-penalty-to-be-put-into-practice-61500, July 25, 2013.
 Maldives: Two Minors Sentenced to Death, Hands Off Cain, http://www.handsoffcain.info/news/index.php?iddocumento=17304789, May 2, 2013.
 Ahmed Nazeer, Criminal Court issues death sentence in gang murder case, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/society/criminal-court-issues-death-sentence-in-gang-murder-case-13553, Nov. 23, 2010. Section 88(d) applies to deaths resulting from a public servant’s breach of lawfulness.
 The Clemency Act, art. 21, Act No. 2/2010, 2010.
 Ahmen Nazeer, Parliament accepts amendment to Clemency Act to uphold death sentences, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/parliament-accepts-amendment-to-clemency-act-to-uphold-death-sentences-18930, Apr. 18, 2011. Mohamen Naahee, PPM submits amendment to make enforcement of death penalty mandatory, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/ppm-submits-amendment-to-make-enforcement-of-death-penalty-mandatory-35044 , Apr. 10, 2012.
 Mohamen Naahee, PPM submits amendment to make enforcement of death penalty mandatory, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/ppm-submits-amendment-to-make-enforcement-of-death-penalty-mandatory-35044, Apr. 10, 2012.
 Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, Shadow Report on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, p. 17, http://www.ccprcentre.org/doc/HRC/Maldives/HRCM_Maldives105.pdf, June 2012.
 Muizzu Ibrahim, Last chance for State to decide on President’s clemency clause, Haveeru, http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/45832, Nov. 27, 2012.
 Ahmen Nazeer, Parliament accepts amendment to Clemency Act to uphold death sentences, http://minivannews.com/politics/parliament-accepts-amendment-to-clemency-act-to-uphold-death-sentences-18930, Apr. 18, 2011.
 U.S. Dept. of State, 2013 Human Rights Report: Maldives, Trial Procedures, http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2013/sca/220399.htm, Feb. 27, 2014.
 Constitution of the Republic of Maldives, art. 56, Aug. 7, 2008, translation: Ms. Dheena Hussain LLB. (Hons), (Birmingham), LLM. (London), Barrister-at-Law (Lincoln’s Inn), at the Request of the Ministry of Legal Reform, Information and Arts.
 U.N.G.A. Human Rights Council, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Gabriela Knaul, p. 9, U.N. Doc. A/HRC/23/43/Add.3, May 21, 2013.
 Draft Maldives Rules of Criminal Procedure, ch. 7, sec. 7.7, http://www.agoffice.gov.mv/pdf/subbille/CPCText.pdf, April 21, 2005.
In 2013, Maafushi prisoners petitioned the President, alleging that they were deprived of constitutional rights and rights conveyed by international treaties the Maldives is a party to as a result of poor prison conditions.  They alleged that their cells were so small they could not kneel to pray and that they were deprived of healthy food, clean water, and medical treatment.  It is unclear whether prisoners under sentence of death endure similar conditions or whether they are kept in different conditions or facilities.
Fathimath Hanna, an 18-year-old female, and her boyfriend were convicted of the murder of a prominent lawyer in the Maldives and sentenced to death in 2012.  She has appealed her sentence,  but we are unaware of the status of that appeal. It is possible that there are other women under sentence of death.
It is possible that there are other individuals under the sentence of death who were under age 18 at the time of the offense.
We were unable to ascertain the ethnic composition of death row.
 International Centre for Prison Studies, World Prison Brief: Maldives, http://www.prisonstudies.org/country/maldives, last accessed May. 9, 2014.
 Ahmen Nazeer, Maafushi Prison inmates petition president over poor conditions, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/maafushi-prison-inmates-petition-president-over-poor-conditions-58904, June 3, 2013.
 JJ Robinson, Prison conditions “unchanged since Gayoom’s time,” Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/prison-conditions-unchanged-since-gayooms-time-detained-blogger-30646, Jan. 11, 2012.
 U.S. Dept. of State, 2009 Human Rights Report: Maldives, Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/sca/136090.htm, Mar. 11, 2010.
 Mark Warren, Foreigners Under Sentence of Death Worldwide, http://users.xplornet.com/~mwarren/world.html, Jan. 19, 2013.
 Muizzu Ibrahim, Murrath, Hana sentenced to death for Najeeb’s murder, Haveeru, http://www.haveeru.com.mv/suspect_fathimath_hana/43523, July 19, 2012.
 Muizzu Ibrahim, Woman convicted of Najeeb’s murder appeals death sentence, Haveeru, http://www.haveeru.com.mv/suspect_fathimath_hana/46316, Dec. 19, 2012.
 Muizzu Ibrahim, Two 18 year olds sentenced to death for Bobby’s murder, Haveeru, http://www.haveeru.com.mv/news/48773, May 2, 2013.
 Daniel Bosley, Former home minister questions government’s sincerity regarding death penalty, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/former-home-minister-questions-governments-sincerity-over-death-penalty-85394, May 22, 2014. The Malay Mail Online, Maldives condemned for sentencing minor to death, http://www.themalaymailonline.com/print/world/maldives-condemned-for-sentencing-minor-to-death, May 22, 2014.
 Draft Maldives Rules of Criminal Procedure, ch. 1, sec. 1.2, http://www.agoffice.gov.mv/pdf/subbille/CPCText.pdf, April 21, 2005.
 Intl. Commn. of Jurists, Attacks on Justice – Republic of Maldives, http://icj.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Republic-of-Maldives-Attacks-on-Justice-2005-Publications-2008.pdf, last accessed May 30, 2014.
 Mohamed Nahee, Supreme Court challenges Maldives Bar Association for using the word ‘bar’ in its name, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/supreme-court-challenges-maldives-bar-association-for-using-the-word-bar-in-its-name-61545, July 25, 2013.
 Ahmen Naish, Bar Association expresses concern with AG office ceasing issuance of law licenses, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/bar-association-expresses-concern-with-ag-office-ceasing-issuance-of-law-licences-81254, Mar. 30, 2014.
 Daniel Bosley, Attorney General resumes issuing lawyer permits, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/attorney-general-resumes-issuing-lawyers-permits-82153, Apr. 9, 2014.
 Attorney General’s Office Republic of Maldives, Strategic Plan 2014-2018, p. 8, http://agoffice.gov.mv/pdf/downloads/Strategic_Plan_2014-2018.pdf, last accessed May 14, 2014.
 Intl. Commn. of Jurists, Attacks on Justice – Republic of Maldives, p. 2-4, http://icj.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Republic-of-Maldives-Attacks-on-Justice-2005-Publications-2008.pdf, last accessed May 30, 2014. Paul H. Robinson, Report on the Criminal Justice System of the Republic of Maldives: Proposals for Reform, p. 7-8, 10, http://www.unicef.org/maldives/Criminal_Justice_System_in_Maldives.pdf, last accessed May 9, 2014.
 Mariyath Mohamen, The culture of flogging in the Maldives: a systematic abuse of human rights, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/the-culture-of-flogging-in-the-maldives-a-systematic-abuse-of-human-rights-55092, Mar. 25, 2013.
 Amnesty Intl, The Other Side of Paradise: A Human Rights Crisis in the Maldives, http://www.univie.ac.at/bimtor/dateien/maldives_ai_2012_the_other_side_of_paradise.pdf, Sept. 2012.
At the Maldives’ 2010 Universal Periodic Review, the UN Human Rights Council noted that the country had made significant strides in its effort to reform its justice system, including the ratification of a new Constitution in 2008. The Maldives rejected recommendations that it abolish the death penalty and accede to the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, but noted its commitment to maintaining a moratorium on the death penalty.  The Maldives accepted the recommendation that its new Penal Code accord with international human rights standards but refused to abolish corporal punishment. The 2014 regulation implementing the death penalty directly undercuts the stance articulated by the Maldives in these responses.
 U.N., Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 40 of the Covenant, p. 4, Doc. CCPR/C/MDV/CO/1, Aug. 31, 2012.
Most helpful are Prof. Paul H. Robinson’s varied reports on the subject of criminal justice reform, all of which are available at http://www.law.upenn.edu/cf/faculty/phrobins/.
 U.N.G.A. Human Rights Council, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Gabriela Knaul, p. 9, U.N. Doc. A/HRC/23/43/Add.3, May 21, 2013. Neil Merret, Maldivian courts failing to serve the public impartially: ICJ report, Minivan News, http://minivannews.com/politics/maldivian-courts-failing-to-serve-the-public-impartially-icj-report-16377, Feb. 21, 2011.

References: art 88
 art. 6
 art. 24
 art. 6
 art. 21
 art. 56