Statement at the 61st Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Adoption of the Universal Periodic Review report of Maldives
Delivered by Olimjon Bakhtaliev, CIVICUS
Mr. Vice-President,
CIVICUS welcomes Maldives engagement in the UPR process. In this cycle, we note that Maldives received 21 recommendations on civic space and supported 19 of them.
We welcome that the government has supported recommendations to ensure that human rights defenders, journalists and civil society have a safe and enabling environment and can operate freely, without fear of reprisals. The government also committed to protect human rights defenders against threats, smear campaigns and attempts at criminalization, guarantee freedom of expression and ensuring the public release of the report of the Presidential Commission on Deaths and Disappearances.
However, we regret that the government chose not to support recommendations to revise the Evidence Act to ensure its provisions do not undermine freedom of expression and press freedom.
In recent years, our organisations have raised concerns about reprisals against civil society and the media, as well as systematic blocking of protests by the police, arbitrary arrests and excessive use of force against protesters.
Mr Vice-President, we urge the government of Maldives to take concrete steps to implement the UPR recommendations by amending the Peaceful Assembly Act 2013 to ensure it is compatible with ICCPR, halt its crackdown on protests, cease any practices of censoring media outlets, and immediately reinstate the registration of the Maldivian Democracy Network and return its seized funds.
We thank you.
