Nine international human rights organisations have called on the Maldivian government to withdraw its proposal to impose the death penalty for drug trafficking, warning that such a move would breach international law, erode human rights protections, and isolate the country from the global community.
In a joint statement issued on 13 August 2025, groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and the Maldivian Democracy Network expressed deep concern over President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s 30 July directive to pursue legislative changes enabling capital punishment for those convicted of smuggling or trafficking drugs. The bill, introduced to parliament in December 2024, is under review by the Judiciary Committee.
The coalition stressed that the Maldives, as a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), is prohibited from expanding the scope of the death penalty to crimes that do not meet the treaty’s threshold of “most serious crimes” — defined as those involving intentional killing. They noted that drug-related offences do not qualify, and the United Nations has consistently opposed the application of capital punishment in such cases.
Citing global trends, the organisations pointed out that more than two-thirds of the world’s countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice, with recent reforms in Vietnam, Pakistan, and Malaysia removing it for drug offences. In 2024, confirmed executions for such crimes occurred in only four countries: China, Iran, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia.
The statement also drew attention to longstanding UN concerns over due process violations in Maldivian death penalty cases, including coerced confessions, lack of access to legal counsel, and the removal of presidential clemency rights. The organisations urged the government to honour international rulings, maintain the country’s de facto moratorium on executions since 1954, and commute all existing death sentences.
Describing capital punishment as “cruel, inhuman, and irreversible,” the international human rights coalition urged both the government and parliament to reject the proposed amendments, align Maldives with global human rights standards, and work toward full abolition of the death penalty.
The statement was co-signed by: The Advocates for Human Rights, Amnesty International, Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network, Capital Punishment Justice Project, Harm Reduction International, Human Rights Watch, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Maldivian Democracy Network, and the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.
