Maldives Defends Ex-Leader's Arrest on Terrorism Charge

The Maldives government today defended the arrest of former leader Mohamed Nasheed on terrorism charges after both the United States and regional power India voiced concern.

Nasheed was arrested on Sunday and spent a night in jail before being forcibly dragged before a court which refused him bail and ordered his detention until after a trial.

The 47-year-old former president - the Maldives' first democratically elected leader - is accused of ordering the illegal arrest of a judge in January 2012 when he was in power.

Washington has urged the Maldives to take steps to restore confidence in their commitment to democracy, judicial independence, and rule of law in the wake of Nasheed's arrest.

Lawyers for the former president's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) said the charges were politically motivated. But a spokesman for President Abdulla Yameen said the government could not interfere in the legal process.

"Everything is (happening) according to the law," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Muaz Ali told AFP by telephone from the capital Male.

"This is an internal matter for the Maldives. We are an independent country since 1965."

The arrest of criminal court chief judge Abdullah Mohamed led to weeks of street protests culminating in a mutiny by police and the military.

Nasheed stepped down in February 2012, later saying he had been forced out in a coup.

Moosa Ali Jaleel, who was army chief at the time and is now defence minister, is among three others facing charges along with Nasheed.

Spokesman Ali said Jaleel would stay on in President Yameen's cabinet as he and the other accused were considered innocent until proved guilty.

Regional power India expressed concern over Nasheed's arrest and "manhandling" after he was photographed being physically dragged into the court on Monday.

State prosecutors pressed the court to deny Nasheed bail in relation to the current case after he took refuge at the Indian embassy to avoid arrest in 2013.