Maldives police arrest supporters of former president

  • 12 years ago
(ROUGH CUT ONLY - NO REPORTER NARRATION)

At least 12 people were arrested in the early hours on Friday (August 31) after police began to break up a protest by supporters of former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, who was ousted in February.

Hundreds of angry supporters took the streets in the capital Male on Thursday (August 30) in protest at an internationally backed report which said the transfer of power had followed the constitution.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected president, said he had been forced to resign at gunpoint by mutinying police and soldiers.

He called on the public to rise up against his successor and demanded that next year's presidential election be brought forward.

His resignation earlier this year sparked rowdy protests by his supporters, some of whom complained of heavy-handed policing. The report said police brutality should be further investigated.

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