Maldivian government should respect Supreme Court order and release political prisoners, says US

Washington: The US welcomed the decision by the Maldives’ Supreme Court to order the release of political prisoners and to reinstate elected members of parliament on Saturday. [caption id=“attachment_1161447” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Supporters of Maldives former President Mohamed Nasheed shout slogans near the Supreme Court in Male. AP[/caption] “The United States urges the Maldivian government to respect and abide by the Supreme Court ruling,” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said. “It is imperative that the Maldivian president, government, and security services uphold the Constitution and rule of law and implement the court’s ruling in full,” she said. Nauert said the US also strongly supports freedom of expression for all Maldivians and calls upon the government to uphold this fundamental freedom