UK grants refugee status to former Maldives president Nasheed

London: The former Maldives President Mohammad Nasheed has been granted refugee status in the United Kingdom, confirmed his lawyer.

“Nasheed has been given a political refugee status in UK,” said his lawyer Hasan Latheef on Monday.

The president was controversially sentenced to 13 years of prison under anti-terror laws last year and however, allowed to travel to UK for treatment of his spine.

“Apparently, Nasheed had used the permission for medical treatment to get out of his prison term. Moreover, the government is still awaiting confirmation about this. If confirmed, the Maldives government would be disappointed that the British government has involved itself in this charade. We would also look forward to circumventing his obligations under the law,” said a statement by the Foreign Ministry of Maldives.

Highlights:

• The British Government has yet not confirmed that it has granted refugee status to the leader.
• Nasheed became the nation’s first democratically elected leader in 2008, ending three decades of rule by strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
• He was detained after being accused of ordering arrest of a judge.
• Later, he alleged that he was removed by a coup, which was denied the vice-president, who replaced him.