Dhivehi Observer, 04 May 2007
All societies teach their members, irrespective of caste or creed, to respect the elderly; to enable them to lead a life of dignity. In this sense, the Maldives is no exception. It is part of our culture and Islamic heritage that we treat our elderly with kindness and tolerance.
In such a situation, it is horrifying to read the ordeal that was inflicted by the Maldivian police upon an old octogenarian with hearing and visual impairments. How the police could treat Ismailbe' with such indignity is beyond belief. To deny an old man water and food for 6 hours is something no decent human being could accept. And to physically force this vulnerable old man to be fingerprinted makes it even more atrocious.
In an era where the relationship between the police service and the public is at its lowest, it is unbelievable that the police could stoop so low as to victimize an old disabled man like Ismailbe'. It would only convince more people that the police are cruel and inhumane. In such a scenario, it's of little surprise that people are willing to believe that the police murdered Hussein Salah. If someone could treat a harmless old man the way they have been treating Ismailbe', then it is not difficult to believe that they would be quite comfortable about murdering someone who they thought was a bigger threat.
Ismailbe' is a remarkable7 character. He is greatly loved and admired by all reformists, especially members of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). Despite his physical impairments due to old age, he has worked tirelessly against the brutal regime of Dictator Gayyoom ever since the reform movement began 3 years ago. It is worth noticing here that, Ismailbe' is almost the same age as the Dictator but Ismailbe' is much more aware of what is going on around the country, as he clearly proved in the exclusive video interview given to Dhivehi Observer this week. Ismailbe's described the Maldives Police as the ?real terrorists' and not him. He described how he was ill-treated, forced to fingerprint a statement. He described how the police had threatened that if he did not obey their orders, he would be thrown in jail.
The United Nations Principles for the Older Persons adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1991 states that "Older persons should be able to live in dignity and security and be free of exploitation and physical or mental abuse".
It is inconceivable that the Maldives Dictator, his Home Affairs Minister Thasmeen and Commissioner of Police is not aware of this important principle.
Incidentally, it maybe of interest to the cronies of the regime to know that The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for the Sudanese government's Humanitarian Affairs Minister Ahmed Haroun suspected of committing crimes against humanity including the murder, rape, torture and persecution of civilians.
Once again, this inhumane and deplorable episode has proved that torture, ill-treatment and persecution of the elderly is perfectly acceptable to the Maldives Dictator.
