Name: Ahmed Falah
Name: Ahmed Falah
Age: 39
The last time Ahmed Falah (39) was detained was on the 22nd of January 2005 for filming a protest by voters at a polling station in Male’. He was transferred from Dhoonidhoo Detention Centre to house arrest on the 21st of March 2005 and released from house arrest on the 4th of the April of the same year. He was later charged with disobeying the orders of the state. Mr. Falah told his wife that during the earlier part of his detention he had been blindfolded and forced to squat while he was beaten all over his body by four officers. While he was in detention, proceedings were started for another case, which was sent to the courts by the police on the 13th of November 2003, in which he was charged with being a party to an illegal gathering, doing bodily harm to Mohamed Niyaz and disobeying the orders of the state.
In 1998 Ahmed Falah and many other inmates of Maafushi Prison shared a prison cell with a former prison guard from the National Security Service, Private Ahmed Niyaz. While they were serving their sentences, a group of new prisoners who had been found guilty of damaging government property and setting fire to certain areas of Gaamaadhoo prison earlier that year, were moved into the same cell increasing the cell population to 108. These new prisoners recognized Ahmed Niyaz and started beating him, accusing him of torturing them while they were detained at Dhoonidhoo Detention Centre for interrogation. In order to investigate the disturbance in the cell, the prison guards (members of the National Security Service) first asked Ahmed Niyaz to show them the people who beat him. Ahmed Falah was among twelve whom Ahmed Niyaz indicated by pointing his finger.
As there was no lawyer to defend him, in his own defense Ahmed Falah denied the charge of doing bodily harm to Mohamed Niyaz and stated that he signed the confession statement only because he could not bear the torture any more. He told the court that he did not even lay a finger on Ahmed Niyaz. He said that he was taken out of the cell and handcuffed to a coconut palm behind his back without even being asked a single question and left like that for a day without any food or water.
According to Ahmed Falah, on the second day, when he denied beating Ahmed Niyaz, the cuffs were tightened and he was repeatedly beaten by many officers of the National Security Servicee. Among them were Lance Corporal Faris Thoha and Lance Corporal “Redhan” Nazim. Ahmed Falah also said that Lance Corporal Adam Ibrahim witnessed the beatings as he was the one who ordered the cuffs to be tightened on the second day. The court also heard from Ahmed Falah that he was beaten like this for three to four days. He also said that after he signed the confession statement admitting to beating Ahmed Niyaz, his hands were cuffed to the coconut palm in front of him and he was kept like this for about another twelve days.
Ahmed Falah called four witnesses who saw him cuffed to the coconut palm in order to prove his case. Witness Ahmed Shafeeg testified to seeing Ahmed Falah with his hands cuffed behind a coconut palm in front of his prison cell. Shafeeg stated in court that he saw blood running down from cuts made by the handcuffs on Ahmed Falah’s swollen wrists. Shafeeg also said that he saw National Security Service officers beating Falah with sticks and inflicting various other kinds of pain. He described to the court how he had to cover his head with his pillow in order not to hear Ahmed Falah’s cries for help as he was not in a situation to do anything to help.
When questioned by Ahmed Falah, defense witness National Security Service Corporal Mohamed Nazim admitted in court to loosening the cuffs on Ahmed Falah’s hands on his request while his hands were cuffed behind a coconut palm. Corporal Nazim also stated that he had done such favours for many prisoners before.
In sentencing Ahmed Falah, the judge said that as it is not proven from any of the witness statements that Ahmed Falah signed the confession statement because he could not bear the pain inflicted by the members of the National Security Service and Ahmed Falah himself could not give any legal reason that would prove his innocence, he therefore found Ahmed Falah guilty of being party to an illegal gathering and sentenced him for six months in prison. As the court could not locate Mohamed Niyaz at the time of the trial, the judge gave the right to Mohamed Niyaz to pursue the case at a later date if he wished.
Ahmed Falah was released on the 8th of December 2005 after serving his sentence.