Nine Years On, Calls Renew for Justice in Yameen Rasheed’s Murder as Groups Demand DDCOM Report Release

On the ninth anniversary of the brutal murder of Maldivian blogger and human rights defender Yameen Rasheed, the Association for Democracy in the Maldives (ADM) and Yameen’s family have renewed calls for justice, urging the government to disclose the findings of the Presidential Commission on Deaths and Disappearances (DDCom) and reopen investigations into the case.

Yameen, who led the campaign to find missing journalist Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla, was stabbed to death on April 23, 2017, after years of receiving death threats and surveillance. ADM’s statement accuses successive governments and state institutions of negligence and cover-up, alleging that police failed to protect Yameen, tainted the crime scene, and ignored individuals who had previously issued threats against him.

The commission, established in 2018 under President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, was dissolved in 2024 by President Mohamed Muizzu after years of incomplete inquiries. While DDCom had linked Yameen’s killing to other high-profile cases, including Rilwan’s disappearance and MP Dr. Afrasheem Ali’s murder, it never brought suspects to justice. The group also condemned the refusal to publish the commission’s findings, despite repeated promises and public assurances from senior officials, including the Attorney General.

ADM further expressed concern that all pending investigations were transferred back to the Maldives Police Service, an institution it says previously failed to handle Yameen’s case professionally. The organization maintains that transparency and accountability are “long overdue,” emphasizing that withholding the DDCom’s report undermines any genuine attempt at justice for Yameen and other victims of politically motivated violence.