Malé City, Maldives, 22 April 2025 – GSM News:
A young woman in her twenties was found on the roof of H. Fentenoy building in Malé City with critical injuries in the early hours of Friday 18 April at morning 07:30. She was then rushed to the hospital for emergency care.
As more details emerge, high level officials of the Maldives government appear allegedly involved in drug fueled rape parties. The incident happened at the home of Minister of Transport Mohamed Ameen. Although the victim appears to have been moved to at least three houses in the densely packed capital Malé City. High level officials and individuals close to the current president of Maldives Mohamed’s administration and who are working at the nations top office, the President’s Office have been allegedly identified and linked with drug fueled parties, including Undersecretary for Digital Strategy, Undersecretary for Strategic Communication, and the President of the National Youth Advisory Board.
Sources report regular parties where alcohol and recreational drugs including mephedrone were a common occurrence at the home of the minister of transport Mohamed Ameen, Ma. Maandhoogey Dhekunuge. Young girls seem to be invited and are alleged to have been sexually assaulted while unconscious.
Meanwhile, sources close to the victims family voiced concerns the police waited to conduct standard rape kit test even with the attending doctors assessment. Media have reported that police waited 72 hours later to collect semen samples, raising public concern there undue political influence to cover up the real story. Claims of gang rape and willful murder are getting louder by the day as details of the fateful night come to public light. The alleged individuals appear to have either pushed or negligently allowed the victim to fall to near certain death and then left the young victim on the roof to die of her injuries. Rights groups and legal experts note this may constitute negligent involuntary manslaughter. However they raised concerns about the current situation of judicial gridlock. The administration of president Mohamed has forced resignations and removed Supreme Court Justices, including leading women legal and jurists Azmiralda Zahir, Aishath Shujoon.
“To make concerns even worse president Mohamed’s executive overreach into the supreme court leaves great doubt for for justice be served for this victim or anyone else. Especially I must say… with the underlying misogynistic and sexist views apparent in the actions of president Mohamed. They are targeting even lawyers so who will fight for the young girl?” said a lawyer with knowledge on the issue of judiciary and this case who spoke to GSM News on condition of anonymity.
The Maldives police held a sealed press conference in secret where journalists were not allowed to use phones or other electronic equipment. The police statements claim the victim fell early morning 04:52, meaning she was left to suffer for almost 3 hours with life threatening injuries from the fall and alleged sexual assault. According established journalists in the island nation, this added veil of secrecy is uncommon and hints at perpetrators being protected.
Women rights groups and media share doubts regarding the statements from police as the actions by the authorities show a departure from standard practice. In the past case details of more heinous crimes and petty theft have been broadcasted to the public. But in this case the public have concerns that powerful leaders are protecting their adult children who are implicated in illegal drug abuse and possible manslaughter of a young woman.
Maldives current President Mohamed’s daughter Yasmine Mohamed Muizzu has publicly stated her support in defense of the alleged rapists on social media.
The victim remains under intensive care at the Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital. Public demonstrations demanding justice for the victim are ongoing creating pressure on authorities.
In the Maldives, a stark dichotomy exists in the administration of justice—one that reveals the nation’s deeply entrenched class divisions. The authorities have consistently shielded the offspring of the elite, operating under implicit directives from those in positions of power. While the faces and names of working-class citizens accused of crimes are promptly displayed for public scrutiny, followed by imprisonment without due process, the privileged experience a markedly different reality.
When allegations surface against the elite and their progeny, evidence that might incriminate them mysteriously disappears or is manipulated. This systematic protection extends to law enforcement personnel themselves, who escape accountability for transgressions ranging from misappropriation of confiscated goods to domestic abuse, and in the most egregious cases, the taking of civilian lives. Their punishment amounts to mere temporary seclusion—a brief retreat from public visibility until collective memory fades, after which they seamlessly resume their duties.
The Maldives Police Service, along with other national institutions, functions not as guardians of justice but as sentinels of privilege, preserving the established order while consuming the dignity, rights, and futures of the disadvantaged with relentless regularity. In this paradise of natural beauty lies an uglier truth: a system designed to perpetuate inequality, where justice bows before the altar of influence and wealth.