Country Watch
prevent Hassan from addressing the Parliament. The protest ended with 16 police officers injured, 44 protestors detained, and four members of the Maldivian Democratic Party, Nasheed’s political party, hospitalized. Amnesty International told Hassan’s authorities to cease its persecution of the Maldivian Democratic Party members. It calls for the government to provide equal protection to all its citizens, regardless of their political affilia- tion.
The protests surrounding the arrest and release of Judge Mohamed demonstrate the political tur- moil the Maldives is experiencing. The people will not stand for government corruption and want those in power to follow the process ascribed in the new Maldives Constitution. The people are demanding for a separation of powers. The inter- national community supports the people of the Maldives and encourages the leaders to respect its people and adhere to its constitution.
18 *Submitted by Christine Long
from a Swiss company. Gilani, using a series of “delay tactics”, refused to write any such request to the Swiss prosecutors, and maintained that Zardari, as the president, enjoyed immunity from prosecution. Regardless, Zardari was found guilty in absentia in a Swiss court in 2003, but the case was subsequently dropped at the request of the Pakistani government. However, this failure to comply with the Supreme Court’s order to reopen the corruption case could cost Gilani his job as prime minister.
Pakistani Prime Minister Appears in Court on Contempt Charges
The Supreme Court of Pakistan formally charged the Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, with con- tempt charges in January 2011. Gilani, after serv- ing for nearly four years, is the longest-serving prime minister in the 64-year history of Pakistan. The charges come on the back of a campaign by the Supreme Court to crack down on corruption, embezzlement, money laundering, murder and terrorism in Pakistan. The Supreme Court charged Gilani with contempt after he refused to reopen old corruption charges against the current presi- dent of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari.
Since 2009, the Supreme Court had been urging Gilani to write to prosecutors in Switzerland to ask them to reopen a corruption investigation involv- ing President Zardari, because of allegations that Zardari had received $12 million in “kickbacks”
Gilani has pleaded not guilty and said “I have done no wrong.” If convicted, Gilani would face six months in jail and could possibly be removed from office. Gilani himself stated that, “If I’m con- victed, then I am not supposed to be a member of the Parliament.” He said that he would resign if convicted but “did not think that would happen.” If the Court issues a custodial sentence and Gilani refused to go to jail, the army could potentially “step in to enforce the court’s orders.” The news outlet the Guardian described this confrontation as “the latest in a series of bruising clashes be- tween the elected government of Pakistan and the senior judiciary, set against a background of a broader struggle for power involving the military.” The contempt trial, which was scheduled to begin in February 2012 could add to the continued politi- cal upheaval in Pakistan, which could be danger- ous, analysts say, because “it puts pressure on an already weak civilian government.”
The timing, also, could not be worse. This politi- cal turmoil could frustrate the Obama administra- tion, which has been laboring to “repair its ties with Pakistan” which were badly damaged by a series of incident including the military raid to kill Osama Bin Laden—and comes at a time when Pakistan is considered a “key player in efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan.” Although these ten- sions between the government, the military and the judiciary leave the outcome in Pakistan un- predictable, the contempt charges against Gilani underscore how the Pakistani Supreme Court,
ILSA Quarterly » volume 20 » issue 4 » May 2012
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