Maldives crackdown an "assault on democracy": UNHR Chief
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United Nations Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein says crackdown on political dissent in the Maldives is tantamount to an all-out assault on democracy.
In a statement, he said suspension of several functions of the judiciary and Parliament, and the restrictions on a series of constitutional rights, creates a dangerous concentration of power in the hands of President Abdullah Yameen.
He urged the President to lift the state of emergency and restore rule of law in the country.
The Maldives has been grappling with a political crisis after the president refused to obey a Supreme Court order to release nine political prisoners and declared a state of emergency. (APP/AFP)
