The blog Groundsix notes some of the torture techniques [1] used on detainees and prisoners in the Maldives.
Putting in stocks: The victim is restrained with his or her ankles and wrists locked in tiny holes in a block of wood. The victim remains bent and does not have the use of his/her hands when eating. Defecation and urination is done on the spot and the victim remains with his or her own human waste for days on end. Victims of the stocks almost invariably suffer from spinal conditions for life, if they survive this ordeal.
Gang rape of women prisoners. Sometimes other women inmates are forced to watch this in order to inflict psychological torture on them. (Those who have been forced to watch this are known to have hung themselves)
“Mounting on the angle”: The victim’s arms are passed backwards through the vertical bars (about 60 cm apart) of the vent above the door in a prison cell. The wrists are then tightly handcuffed. The body is left dangling for hours at a time. The victim almost invariably has both shoulders and/or elbows dislocated during this exercise. Indiscriminate beating. Often officials wearing military-style boots stomp on the victim. (In one well-documented case, a 17 year old youth was beaten up on the spinal area, in the interrogation room. He was paralysed for life.)
Torture has been widely used in the Maldives to sustain the current regime in power. Association for the Prevention of Torture and Ill-treatment in the Maldives has documented several cases of torture. [2]
Recent rise in police brutality has prompted Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to hold a demonstration. [3]
Maldives is known to the world as a great holiday destination. Tourism statistics for January show a record number of visits by tourists. [4] UK-based organization Friends of Maldives (FOM) has initiated a Maldives Selected Resorts Boycott [5] to discourage tourists from spending holidays in resorts that have links with the ruling regime. FOM says the boycott is not intended to stop people from visiting Maldives. [6]
FOM are asking tourists to make an ethical choice on where they choose to spend their holidays. If you choose this resort belonging to X then you will be supporting a man who directly supports the 28 year dictatorship of President Maumoon Gayoom – If you choose a resort that is NOT on the list then you can enjoy your holiday in full – conscience free.