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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Maldives court bans former president from leaving country | Maldives court bans former president from leaving country |
| (12 days later) | |
| A court in the Maldives has banned the former president Mohamed Nasheed from leaving the capital without official permission in what his party called a politically motivated move. | A court in the Maldives has banned the former president Mohamed Nasheed from leaving the capital without official permission in what his party called a politically motivated move. |
| Nasheed resigned as president in February after losing the support of the military and police during widespread protests triggered by the secret arrest of a senior judge. He later insisted he was forced out in a coup, but an inquiry commission concluded he left legally. He was charged in July with illegally ordering the judge's arrest. | Nasheed resigned as president in February after losing the support of the military and police during widespread protests triggered by the secret arrest of a senior judge. He later insisted he was forced out in a coup, but an inquiry commission concluded he left legally. He was charged in July with illegally ordering the judge's arrest. |
| Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic party said the Hulhumale magistrate court served him with a notice of criminal proceedings and the travel restriction on Tuesday evening. | Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic party said the Hulhumale magistrate court served him with a notice of criminal proceedings and the travel restriction on Tuesday evening. |
| "This detention is politically motivated, aimed solely at preventing Nasheed from campaigning ahead of next year's elections," the party said. | "This detention is politically motivated, aimed solely at preventing Nasheed from campaigning ahead of next year's elections," the party said. |
| "The regime fears Nasheed will win an election. So they plan to convict him of something so they can prevent him from standing. They know their grip on power is dependent on removing Nasheed from the political equation," it said in a statement. | "The regime fears Nasheed will win an election. So they plan to convict him of something so they can prevent him from standing. They know their grip on power is dependent on removing Nasheed from the political equation," it said in a statement. |
| Abbas Riza, spokesman for the current president, Mohammed Waheed Hassan, rejected the allegation, saying the court order was "the usual practice, according to the country's law". | Abbas Riza, spokesman for the current president, Mohammed Waheed Hassan, rejected the allegation, saying the court order was "the usual practice, according to the country's law". |
| He said anyone who had a scheduled court case faced similar travel restrictions. "It's done to everyone and nothing extraordinary has been done to him. It's totally a judicial matter and the government has no influence on the judiciary," Riza said. | He said anyone who had a scheduled court case faced similar travel restrictions. "It's done to everyone and nothing extraordinary has been done to him. It's totally a judicial matter and the government has no influence on the judiciary," Riza said. |
| Nasheed was a democracy activist and political prisoner before becoming president in the Maldives's first multiparty election in 2008. His supporters have held frequent protests in recent months demanding early elections. Hassan has said he will hold elections in July 2013, the earliest time permitted by the constitution. | Nasheed was a democracy activist and political prisoner before becoming president in the Maldives's first multiparty election in 2008. His supporters have held frequent protests in recent months demanding early elections. Hassan has said he will hold elections in July 2013, the earliest time permitted by the constitution. |
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