Amnesty International has urged the Maldivian authorities to carry out transparent, thorough, independent, and impartial investigations into the death of a prisoner and claims of abuse against people detained.

The organization released a statement yesterday, expressing their concern about recent events in Maldivian prisons — noting that Maldivian jails have a history of claims of torture and other ill-treatment.

They expressed particular worry in this regard when Mohamed Aslam died on September 13 at the Hulhumale prison.

Amnesty International's South Asia campaigner Saad Hammadi remarked, "A death without a known cause raises severe concerns about human rights crimes committed against those arrested by the authorities in the Maldives."

Concerns were also raised over the claims that Ahmed Ibrahim was severely burned on September 17 in Maafushi Prison when a cellmate allegedly threw hot water on him.

In the statement, Saad Hammadi urged authorities to examine the attack so that jails don't become hotbeds for the violence. And also he believes that it will put an end to the terrible treatment of detainees.

Aside from these criticisms, Saad Hammadi also blasted the lack of accountability and prompt action by authorities in regards to the claim that Ahmed Siraj was tortured to compel an "admittance of guilt" after his arrest on September 6, 2020, on suspicion of stealing.

"That a year-old allegation of torture requires the nod of a parliamentary committee to start a criminal investigation points at the authorities' lack of accountability and timely intervention," he had said in reference to the Parliament's Security Services Committee's (241 Committee) decision to request the Police to start a criminal investigation on September 13 against individual officers who were the perpetrators.

Saad Hammadi further emphasized the necessity of conducting a thorough and impartial investigation into these claims and the death of Mohamed Aslam without including the agencies accused of carelessness or human rights violations.