Maldives coup: Solidarity needed to restore democracy

A coup led by rebel soldiers and police officers overthrew Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed on February 7. Nasheed, a democracy activist and former political prisoner, was the Indian Ocean island nation's first democratically elected president.

Maldives, made up of 26 atolls, is facing destruction due to climate change. Nasheed is an outspoken campaigner for climate justice on the international stage.

The rebellion was fuelled after Nasheed ordered the arrest of a judge for blocking criminal charges against allies of former Maldives dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Nasheed was forced to resign and vice-president Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik was installed as president, pledging to lead a government of "national unity", ABC.net.au said on February 10. There are reports Nasheed supporters have been arrested and beaten. Arrest warrants have been issued for Nasheed and other members of his government.

Protests against the coup and for Nasheed's restoration have been raging since February 7, despite the repression. Global climate campaign group 350.org has initiated calls for international support for Nasheed and democracy in the Maldives. You can sign their petition against the coup and for democracy here.

Below is a February 10 call for support from 350.org founder Bill McKibben.

* * *

We've spent the last 36 hours talking with many of our 350.org friends in the Maldives. The situation changes frequently, but its basic outlines are clear: our ally President Nasheed was forced at gunpoint to resign in what seems to be a coup carried out by police forces. Several of his aides and associates have been hospitalised after beatings, and an arrest warrant has been issued for Nasheed -- with one official for the new government promising that he will spend the rest of his life in prison.

At a moment like this, we need to show the kind of solidarity we'd all hope for from our friends and allies. Please spread this action to get more people to sign onto our statement of support. You can share it on Facebook, spread it on Twitter, or just pass along this link: www.350.org/nasheed

We're communicating urgently with the US State Department and other key diplomats in Britain, the EU and India to press for a peaceful and democratic resolution of the struggles in the Maldives. The surge of democracy that swept the Arab world last year really began a few years before in the Maldives, an entirely Muslim nation -- and Nasheed's op-ed in the New York Times explains just how difficult this kind of transition can be. A new video (which you can see on our website) provides a chilling glimpse of the challenges that face this threatened, fragile country.

We also received this touching note from Ayesha, a friend of ours from the Maldives:

"To the 350 family: thank you for your support and for insisting on the safety of President Nasheed and all Maldivians … I plea for my friends who fight for climate justice to help us bring peace to our nation. By helping us bring peace and justice to this nation, you will help strengthen our resilience to climate change which is crucial for our very existence."

When people are free to speak their minds, crucial issues like climate change rise to the fore. We need to make sure that people in the Maldives and elsewhere can be a full part of the global debate on the most important issues the world has ever faced.