24 December 2013, Male': The Maldives yesterday enacted the first-evernational law against torture in the country. The Anti-Torture Act (2013) is the second piece of legislation to be signed into law by His Excellency President Yameen Abdul Gayoom since he took office last month.
The landmark law is the first to be enacted in the Maldives that prohibits the crime of torture and reinforces the Constitutional right of freedom from torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The new law stipulates the crime of torture as a separate criminal offence in the country and is premised on the principle of protecting the sanctity of the person and promoting respect for human dignity. The Act will complement other existing penal laws.
Following international best standards the Act establishes the Human Rights Commission of Maldives as the National Preventive Mechanism to take direct and indirect measures to prevent all forms of torture in the country and to work towards the effective implementation of all international conventions on the subject matter.
Commenting on the enactment, the Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Ms. Dunya Maumoon said, "This is a major step forward for the Maldives' in its efforts to consolidate the national human rights framework. Promotion and protection of human rights is a major priority area of policy and advocacy of the new Government and we will use our second term at the Human Rights Council to reinforce the national human rights framework by filling the existing legislative gaps and cultivating a culture of respect for human rights in our society".
The Maldives has maintained a very constructive working relationship with key international partners working for the elimination of torture such as the SPT and the Association for the Prevention of Torture. The Government is committed to continue these partnerships and the engagement with the international human rights mechanism to achieve a society that respects human dignity.
The Maldives ratified the Convention against Torture Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) on20 April 2004 and its Optional Protocol on 15 February 2005. The enactment of the Law is a major step towards fulfilling the Maldives' obligations under the CAT. In 2007 the Maldives was the second country to be visited by the Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture (SPT); the monitoring body set up under the OPCAT.
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