News Desk
Geneva, April 18, 2025 — A United Nations human rights expert sounded the alarm yesterday. The Maldives’ government is under fire for suspending three Supreme Court judges, a move that smells like a calculated effort to kneecap the judiciary. Margaret Satterthwaite, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, didn’t mince words. She called the disciplinary actions against Justices Dr. Azmiralda Zahir, Husnu Al Suood, and Mahaz Ali Zahir a blatant attempt to block the court’s review of a controversial constitutional amendment.
That amendment, passed last November, introduced anti-defection measures for parliament members. It’s a political lightning rod. The three judges, known for their vocal stances during earlier deliberations, now find themselves sidelined. Satterthwaite sees a pattern. “A series of actions, separately and in combination, appear to be aimed at undermining the Supreme Court,” she said in a statement obtained by EtruthMv.
The plot thickened in late February. On the 25th, Maldives’ Parliament passed a bill amending the Judicature Act. It shrank the Supreme Court bench from seven to five judges and tasked the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) with picking two justices to ax for “incompetence.” Coincidence? Satterthwaite thinks not. The next day, the Anti-Corruption Commission president informed the JSC of anonymous complaints against the trio. Swiftly, the JSC suspended them and launched separate disciplinary probes. One judge, fed up, resigned in protest.
Satterthwaite isn’t buying the official line. She argues the proceedings violate core principles. Judges can only be dismissed for serious misconduct or incompetence, and only through fair, impartial processes. “The pressure of suspensions, disciplinary proceedings, and investigations may amount to an interference in the independence of this institution,” she warned. Worse, she flagged reports that Justices Zahir and Mahaz Ali Zahir’s lawyers were muzzled during the hearings, which were held behind closed doors.
The Maldives government is feeling the heat. Satterthwaite confirmed she’s in touch with officials, pressing for answers. The UN’s concerns echo broader worries about democratic backsliding in the island nation. For now, the fate of the judiciary hangs in the balance.
Reference: UN OHCHR statement, April 17, 2025.
