Unpacking the Maldives’ Transitional Justice Act
New legislation must provide meaningful redress for survivors of past abuses.
In a surprise move on 17 December 2020, the Maldivian government ratified the Transitional Justice Act and instituted the Office of the Ombudsman for Transitional Justice (OOTJ). This is a historic step by the government to initiate long-overdue redress mechanisms for survivors of past abuses. Achieving this uphill task in the current political climate – not to mention as the global COVID-19 pandemic rages on – is strenuous even with a supermajority in Parliament. This law is an attempt at guaranteeing legal certainty to the cause of serving justice, in the form of reparations and closure for survivors who have been systematically wronged by state officials and institutions.
Samples being collected for Covid-19 testing
Health Protection Agency
Maldives Covid-19 tally has surpassed the 30,000-mark.
According to the latest statistics publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) on Saturday night, Saturday marked the sixth consecutive day where Maldives recorded alarming numbers of new infections. As such 402 new infections were confirmed through 3,854 samples collected for testing between 6pm Friday and 6pm Saturday.
The Maldives Covid-19 tally has been pushed to 30,237 with the new cases, of which 174 were reported in the Greater Malé Region, 179 from residential islands and six from operational resorts. Further, an additional 43 new infections were confirmed from islands reserved for industrial purposes.