I am a dissident from Maldives living in exile. For some, Maldives is a picture-perfect paradise; for others, it is a hell-hole of human rights abuses and torture.
Latest posts by Nihan Zafar
Maldives: Election fever in blogosphere
The presidential election being held in Maldives is the first multi-party election in the country. This election is believed by many Maldivians as their chance to bring democracy to a...
Maldives: Non-Muslims to be Barred from Citizenship?
On 7 August, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the President of the Maldives, and Asia's longest serving ruler, ratified the amended constitution of the country. It culminated a process of constitutional amendment...
Maldives: Living with contaminated groundwater
As the world observed World Water Day on March 22, issues concerning sanitation and access to safe water were discussed and debated in the media. This year’s theme for WWD...
Maldives: Aftermath of an assassination attempt
It looks like a scene out of a Tintin or Asterix comic book. On January 8, during a campaign tour of a northern atoll, while the Maldives dictator Maumoon Abdul...
Maldives: Facebook and blogs used to organize vigil to remember torture victim
On 19 September 2003 a conflict among some inmates of Maafushi Jail in the Maldives led to 12 of them being isolated from their cells. Among the isolated was Hassan...
Maldives: Inhumane Treatment of Migrant Workers
The Maldivian government was able to prevent Bangladeshi migrant workers’ community in the capital Malé from holding a demonstration on Friday, by using the threat of deportation. The Bangladeshi community,...
Maldives: Secret Haven for Pedophiles
Maldivian bloggers are expressing outrage over the prevalence of child sexual abuse in the country and the lack of firm action by the government to address the issue. Maldives has...
Maldives: Jamming to save the islands from submerging
In Greek mythology singing of the Sirens were so sweet and melodic that sailors were lured into the sea and met fateful deaths. On July 07, or the date known...
RSF names Maldives police unit Star Force as predator of press freedom
Reporters without Borders (RSF) has listed Star Force, an elite unit of Maldives Police Service, as a predator of press freedom. The listing came weeks after a dead body fished...
Maldives police accused of torture and killing a young man
Torture by Maldivian police on detainees has come under spotlight once again with the discovery of a badly beaten body from water in the morning of April 15 in the...
Maldives: Torture Techniques in Paradise
The blog Groundsix notes some of the torture techniques used on detainees and prisoners in the Maldives. Putting in stocks: The victim is restrained with his or her ankles and...
Press freedom watchdogs slam Maldives
Major international press freedom watchdogs have recently slammed the Maldives for the Indian Ocean country’s bad record in press freedom. Reporters without Borders (RSF) has criticized the Maldives for violations...
Maldives struggles with Chikungunya
Chikungunya, a viral fever accompanied with joint pains, is spreading throughout the Maldives. The disease was first noticed in the country in late 2006 and so far it has not...
