Police on Monday dragged the Maldives’ former president into a court, which ordered his detention throughout his trial over a decision to arrest a senior judge three years ago.
Mohamed Nasheed was arrested Sunday and charged under an anti-terrorism law.
He was brought to Criminal Court for the first hearing, and was dragged into the courtroom after he resisted police attempts to stop him from speaking to journalists gathered outside.
The three-judge panel gave Nasheed three days to name his lawyers.
The Maldives government says the anti-terrorism law covers not only violent terrorism, but a wide array of actions against the state.
Nasheed resigned as president in 2012 following weeks of public protests against his order to arrest the top Criminal Court Judge Abdulla Mohamed. Mohamed was arrested soon after he released an opposition politician in detention and Nasheed’s administration accused him of political bias and corruption.
Nasheed became the country’s first democratically elected leader in 2008, defeating Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom, who had ruled autocratically for 30 years. However he lost to Gayyoom’s half-brother Yameen in the 2013 presidential election.
Nasheed’s detention comes weeks after a key ally defected from Yameen Abdul Gayyoom’s ruling coalition to align with Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party and demand Gayyoom to resign. They accuse the government of repeatedly violating the constitution.
Nasheed’s charges include using the military to arrest the judge when it had no authority to do so. He also is accused of detaining Mohamed for weeks without trial or legal counsel and ignoring a Supreme Court order to release him.
