2003 Maldives civil unrest

On Saturday September 20, 2003 civil unrest broke out in Malé, the capital city of the Maldives.

[2] The government controlled the unrest by around 23:00 and declared a State of Emergency in Malé and nearby islands.

[6] The beating came about as punishment for the disturbances from complicated disputes between Naseem's inmates and "neighboring" prisoners.

[7] To control the disturbances caused by these disputes (and reportedly to investigate this incident) security personnel came with a list of "troublemakers".

[5] He died in the early morning of September 20, 2003, largely due to injuries sustained to his lungs from the beating.

[8] Upon Mohamed's instruction to block the premises, Jail Security Unit personnel were issued riot gear.

Mohamed Faseeh, a prisoner from the crowd, questioned him about Naseem's death, to which he did not respond reasonably.

A total of 20 people, including a security officer, were shot during the shooting incident at Maafushi prison.

[9] Among the key places target were The Elections Division office, the Majlis and the High Court.

Tear gas drifted through the streets of Malé in the late evening and police used force to control the mob when as they reached Shaheed Hussain Adam Building.

Gayoom established a Presidential Commission on September 20, 2003 to investigate Naseem's death and the shooting incident at Maafushi Prison.

Members of the commission visited Maafushi Jail on September 23 and October 6, 2003 and Girifushi Training Center (on November 30) to obtain information on the nature of weapons used in shooting.