Chief justice in cuffs

MALE (AP):

The Maldives' military has arrested the chief justice of the country's criminal court after he released an opposition leader who had been detained without a warrant for allegedly defaming the government.

Monday's arrest of Judge Abdulla Mohamed has prompted all courts in Maldives to boycott sessions yesterday, in what could become a showdown between the country's first government chosen in free elections and the independent judiciary introduced by former pro-democracy political prisoner President Mohamed Nasheed after coming to power in 2008.The arrest of a judge by the military is unprecedented in the Maldives, which became a multiparty democracy after 30 years of autocratic rule. It also sparked street protests in the capital of the Indian Ocean archipelago.

At least 200 protesters gathered near the police and military headquarters yesterday, demanding adherence to court orders and release of the arrested judge, but police and soldiers used batons to disperse them. One policewoman was injured in the scuffle.

A government statement quoted Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem as saying yesterday that Mohamed was arrested "for corruption, in particular for allowing his judicial decisions to be determined by political and personal affiliations and interests".