(Translation of an article written in Maldives' mother tongue Dhivehi by Ibrahim Saeed, dated 3 March 2024 from Bonthi News, Maldives, at the link: https://bonthinews.com/26997)
It's been 2 years since the emergence of the case of Bangladesh citizen MD Alamgir who had engaged in same-sex relations with a lot of Maldivian men.
From among the 250 men involved, only 10 people's cases emerged into the public. And out of that also, only three people were sentenced on trial. That was based on confessions. The other 6 people were dealt with an "advice counsel" by the State. They escaped without a prison sentence. One case is now pending in the trail stage.
In these cases, there were major problems to do with the chain of custody in regard to how the video evidence came into the possession of police. These cases are proceeding as an atrocity to bring about an end to the political careers of certain people.
The investigation started as an issue of blackmailing and kidnapping. However, the issue ended with two or three (been convicted) in the manner of a lamb being led to the slaughter. Or the issue was deliberately buried. Those who blackmailed, extorted millions of Rufiya (Maldivian currency), produced pornography, and distributed them got away scot-free.
Alamgir who was arrested has now received the punishment available in Maldives resulting in his "redemption". And he had apologized for causing the tearing of the social fabric of Maldives. That's true. He is still going through his jail sentence. Today those who are using his actions to get rid of our social fabric are activists on social media. During all elections, the photo of the room where the atrocity was committed, scenes from the videos, and the distribution of posts about Alamgir are carried out just by Maldivians. Intelligent educated people. Treating it as fun.
This is resulting in two issues. One is that this is causing same-sex activities to be advertised as an ordinary normal activity. When this issue is projected to the extent that people feel this is not a big thing, as being spread on the pages of major political parties through the use of photographs and memes, it will soon result in this issue been regarded as not a major problem. Even now it's treated as a trivial matter. This is tragic.
The second issue is that each such post is reaching the children of the victims, sent to the children by their classmates and friends, who are spreading these posts around.
According to information received to "Bonthi", children of the victims even now are been bullied at their schools. Some of the children have been sexually harassed on the street. They say that even to date they have not received any assistance even when they brought these happenings to the attention of the police and the gender ministry. Some of these children have attempted suicide due to been unable to bear the amount of bullying at their schools. And some children have changed schools. And some families have migrated out of Maldives.
A psychiatrist (whose name has been withheld to ensure the safety of the child victim) psychologically treating a child who have been bullied, with regard to this case, said that the child in question faced depression due to bullying by classmates and the child had twice attempted to commit suicide.
"It takes a lot of effort to calm down these children. And just when the child has calmed down, (people) start distributing on social media, on some excuse, the photos, and videos, and memes of this case. Maldivians do need to become civilized. This is a more dangerous activity that must not be indulged in just to score political points. Even if the adults involved in this case can persevere, this is related to scores of children who are innocent," the psychiatrist said.
It is notable that police, the prosecutor general, the gender ministry, and the education ministry did not address the social damage of such a serious issue.
A person who became a victim said that even if the trial and the case are prolonged, with an offer of a plea bargain deal, the said person is completing the procedures for the sake of the said person's children, and that there is no further suffering or loss from this case.
"What my children faced or are facing I have referred to the gender ministry and police some three to four times. For two years my family has been dragged into a case where the penalty is a 3-month jail conviction. Yet the trial has still not ended. The last hearing was held seven months ago. Then gangsters from gangs are approaching me claiming that they will expedite the trial if I offer them money. Some of them claim that they are approaching me on behalf of the judge. I don't know what's the truth behind this. Some approach me claiming that they are acting on behalf of the PG and that they will expedite my case. Everybody wants money. Police did not look into my case when I approached them. I brought the matter to the attention of judges of the Supreme Court. Nothing happened. On the other hand nowhere in the world will they not look into a kidnapping and blackmail case than this case," the person elaborated.
The person went on to say that offenders and their corelated victims’ circumstances are emerging a lot nowadays.
"Police is not investigating any of this. They arrest people who steal a bag of mangoes. But these are more serious crimes, right? Due to the way Alamgir's case ended up, people don't dare to refer to the police the cases involving muggings nowadays. On the other hand if any such incriminatory material gets 'leaked', one becomes a victim of social media bullying for the rest of one's life. In this nation, victims are considered the offenders," the person said.
It is now an out-of-bounds common occurrence where various platforms of social media are used to kidnap and mug people. Using Telegram and WhatsApp or other dating apps, people are lured to guesthouses and empty apartments where they are stripped naked, videoed, and threatened to expose them by way of blackmailing, holding knives to the victims' neck, coercing them to open the Bank of Maldives app, and extorting substantial sums of money.
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