Religious-political battles in the Maldives are intensifying. Minivan News reports that last Thursday opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) Deputy Leader Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed was summoned for questioning after the President's Office called for an investigation into "slanderous" remarks allegedly made by Ahmed. It was charged that he accused the government of working under the influence of “Jews and Christian priests” to weaken Islam. Ahmed was then taken into custody Sunday night. Chief Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed, however, ordered Ahmed's immediate release, holding unconstitutional Section 125 of the Penal Code that permits detention for making a fabricated statement. Now AP reports that on Monday the military in turn arrested Judge Mohamed "for corruption, in particular for allowing his judicial decisions to be determined by political and personal affiliations and interests."
UPDATE: AP 1/19 reports that the military still holds Judge Mohamed despite orders by the Supreme Court and the prosecutor general for his release. Maldives Vice President Mohammed Waheed Hassan also criticized the "extrajudicial arrest".
