Charges pressed against leading figures of youth protests, Shiman and Mahzoom

Prosecutor General’s Office (PG Office) has pressed charges against Aishath Shiman Ahmed and Abdulla Mahzoom Majidh, two leading figures of the recent serial protests led by youths demanding justice for the young woman who was found injured on the rooftop of a building in Male’ on April 18^th.

21-year-old Mariyam Yumnu was found injured on the rooftop of a warehouse in the Henveiru district at around 07:30 am on April 18.

The case of Yumnu, who spent nearly three hours on the rooftop of a warehouse before a neighbor saw her and alerted the authorities, has sparked serial protests in Male’, largely led by youths. The protests were prompted by allegations of a police coverup after it became known that the individuals involved have family links to influential figures.

Both Shiman and Mahzoom had been arrested during the protests and released shortly afterwards.

PG Office had filed the charges against both on June 25th, citing that the charges were pursued because the individuals declined to enter into reprimand agreements.

In this regard, Mahzoom was charged under Article 120 (b) of the Penal Code, which carries a prison sentence of one month and six days.

According to PG Office, Mahzoom was charged because he had pushed a police officer by the chest when officers seized a loudspeaker he was using during the protest held on the night of May 1^st.

Meanwhile, Shiman was charged under Article 532 (a) of the Penal Code, which carries a prison sentence of four months and 24 days.

PG Office said Shiman was charged for obstructing police officers by breaking through and entering a police line during the seizure of the loudspeaker.