Abbas Faiz, a British human rights expert appointed by the Maldives government as special envoy to monitor the investigation and prosecution of the terrorist attack against Parliament Speaker and former President Mohamed Nasheed, has arrived in the island nation. Faiz, appointed by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on May 19, arrived in the Maldives on Friday.  Faiz has more than 30 years of experience monitoring the human rights situation in South Asia and is currently a lecturer in human rights at the School of Law, University of Essex.

The special envoy is mandated to ensure all stages of the investigation, prosecution and trial of the alleged perpetrators, and any related and necessary inquiries, comply with international best practice and national laws to ensure public confidence in the integrity of these processes.

The President’s Office said that Faiz will do so within the parameters set by the Prosecutor General.

The Office will be providing all support and administrative assistance needed by the Special Envoy for the duration of their appointment, for which Faiz will be stationed at the President's Office, Raajje TV reported.

Former President Nasheed was the target of a remote-controlled bomb in capital Male’ City on May 6. He had just left his house and was about to get into his car when a bomb attached to a motorbike exploded.

While July 6 will mark two months since the attack on the country’s first democratically elected president, President Solih has announced that investigators have identified eight suspects with links to the incident.

He said the investigation concerning four of the suspects has concluded and will be sent for prosecution “soon”.

Five of these suspects are Mujaz Ahmed, Thahumeen Ahmed, Ahmed Adhuham Rasheed, Ahmed Fathih and Ali Haisham.

(SAM)