The Adhaalath Party has criticized President Mohamed Nasheed’s comments about excluding the death penalty and amputation from the revised penal code. President Nasheed made the comments during his weekly radio address to the nation last Friday morning.
At a rally held at Dharubaaruge by the Adhaalath Party, senior officials of the Party and religious scholars criticized President Nasheed for saying that he was hopeful the revised penal code would exclude the death penalty and amputation. Everyone who spoke at the rally said that it no one should be allowed to criticize, debate or alter the Islamic Sharia. They said that since the Sharia was God’s commandments, not even the President or People’s Majlis should have the power to alter to it. Speaking at the rally, Assadhullah Shafie said that it was the duty of all Maldivians to remove President Nasheed from power if he was against the death penalty and amputation.
On death penalty, the President said: “A fair, a very fair trial – in my view as fair as the justice delivered during the Prophetic era – must be ensured before taking a human life. I don’t believe that the Maldives’ judicial system has the capacity to meet all requirements for such a fair trial. Ultimately, the burden of pardoning or the burden of implementing death penalty is upon the President.”
During Friday’s radio address, President Nasheed had said that in his opinion it was unwise to make death penalty a codified punishment in law.
“I’m hopeful the penal code would be passed without offences punishable by death,” said the President.
With regard to amputation, the President said amputation as a penalty has never been the common practice in the Maldives. He said the consequences of the only two instances of implementing amputation in the past were negative and bad.
“I don’t think the penal code should include amputation as a penalty,” said the President.
