by Concerned Maldivian Citizen,
6 January 2004
The
death of Hassan Evan Naseem, the 18 year old boy who was
brutally beaten to death by ruthless security guards of (NSS) in
Maafushi prison on 19th September 2003, could have been
prevented if the Commissioner of Police Brigadier Adam Zahir or
Deputy Commander-in -Chief Ambaree Abdul Sathar or Supreme
Commander-in-Chief President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom had taken the
necessary steps to deal with a report submitted by Lieutenant
Aswaan at the very beginning of January 2003.
Lieutenant Aswaan, second in command in Mafushi prison, in a
report to his superiors clearly stated ongoing inhumane
activities, brutality, and hostility towards inmates. He had
mentioned, in his meticulously compiled report, some security
guards who had been a threat to inmates. At first hand, he
witnessed how they had been dealing with boys like Evan and
other helpless and defenceless prisoners. He also in his report
emphasized the importance of improving the security system and
more importantly the condition for the inmates in the cells.
Unfortunately, on
the night of 19th September 2003, the catastrophic incident had
taken place and as a result, four (including Evan) are dead and
18 or more seriously wounded. Who do you think has to be blamed
for underestimation and miscalculation of the situation? Could
it be Police Commissioner Brigadier Adam Zahir who refused and
totally ignored "the Lieutenant Aswaan report" or could it be
Deputy Commander-in-Chief Anbaree Abdul Sathar who had no time
to respond to it effectively or even to read and think of its
seriousness and underestimate the consequence that would create
if serious action had not taken immediately?
Ironically neither Police Commissioner Brigadier Adam Zahir nor
Deputy commander-in-chief Anbaree Abdul Sathar were charged for
gross negligence on their part but the Gayoom-sponsored
"presidential" commission, which was led by government dignitary
Abdul Sathar Moosa Didi, a long time friend of Gayoom, to
conduct and inquire into the death and the shooting incident in
Maafushi prison, clearly stated in one of its chapters that
Lieutenant Aswaan submitted the report to the police
commissioner but in Gayoom's commission's biased report, it
stated that Lieutenant Aswaan had been charged for not carrying
out the duties of his office in the best manner - thus,
ironically, the Commission found him to have personally assisted
or created an atmosphere for members of his unit to carry out
the atrocities against Evan and other inmates! This is
ridiculous. If Lieutenant Aswaan has been charged on this basis,
why had not Adam Zahir and his boss Anbaree Abdul Sathar been
charged for " not carrying out their duties of their office in
the best manner"? Why not charge Adam Zahir, Anbaree Abdul
Sattar and Gayoom for not taking proper action to protect the
lives of prisoners by not removing those "sadists mentioned in
Lieutenant Aswaan report?
If they had taken their responsibilities efficiently, and had
responded properly to the report compiled by Lieutenant Aswaan,
the tragedy could have been averted. Evan, Ameen, Shiyaz and
Aslam would be alive today.
