MALE: Former president Mohammed Nasheed, sentenced to 13 years in jail under anti-terrorism laws, will have a furnished air-conditioned prison apartment complete with a TV and garden, a senior Maldivian minister said today.
Nasheed, 47, was last week sentenced to 13 years in jail over the alleged abduction and imprisonment of a former chief justice while he was president.
"MNasheed's 264 sqft Prison apartment: 1room, sitting room, furnished, AC, TV, VCD player. Garden 1087 sq ft. Live with other inmate-friends," Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer tweeted.
Naseer, in another tweet yesterday, had said that the government will guarantee the safety and welfare of the former President while he is in prison.
"The Govt guarantees the safety, welfare & protection of former Prez Nasheed while in state custody. He'll be treated with respect & dignity," he tweeted.
Nasheed will remain in police custody in Dhoonidhoo until the apartment in Maafushi Prison is completed, media reports said.
Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party has decided to launch a national civil disobedience campaign to free their imprisoned leader.
India, the US and the European Unionhave all expressed concern over Nasheed's imprisonment and conviction.
Nasheed, yesterday, suffered another blow when the former Maldivian president's appeal against his arrest order was dismissed by a court.