What’s happening in the Maldives looks like the Arab Spring in reverse. Maldivian Winter if you will. The police and security forces have overthrown an elected President and are now beating people in the streets. Anni (former President Nasheed) is calling for elections but no response from the government, as it is. From a friend there I hear that there’s been a warrant issued for Anni and that many people have fled rather than face the police.
Anni, the elected President, after being assaulted
The police look to have quickly reverted to the pre-democracy practices of suppression and violence. It sucks because the Maldives had an election and it seemed that they transitioned out of that peacefully. If Gayoom came back I thought it would’ve been through the ballot, but it looks like he staged (or at least encouraged) a coup, reportedly forced the elected President to resign at gunpoint, and is now using violence and arrests to suppress to rightful protests by the people of the Maldives.
I’m obviously an Anni supporter, but by any measure this Maldivian Winter is wrong. It’s a coup using the threat of violence to force an elected President out and actual violence to keep the voters and people of the Maldives down. Here are some photos and video. The photos here are from Facebook. There’s a full playlist of video here.
I dunno. They need to call elections at the least. Maldives deserves its democracy back, and it looks like they’re willing to fight for it.
President dude is hurt. :( Poor fellow.