Maldives govt ready to welcome self-exiled politicians

The president of the Maldives Abdulla Yameensaid on Mondaythe government is ready to welcome self-exiled politicians abroad if they want to return home.

However, hehighlighted the jail sentences to be served by some of the self-exiled politicians.

"The people exiledabroad can return to Maldives. But if they have a sentence to serve, once they come back to Maldives it's up to them to decide whether they would go home or somewhere else. But there is nothing stopping them from coming back to the Maldives. We would even welcome that," President Yameen said speaking at a ceremony held in Himmafushi island.

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He said his administration would not target politicians and arrest them out of the boundaries of the law.

Several politicians including former president Mohamed Nasheed and former vice president Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed are living in self-exile in the UK.

Yameen said Maldives still enjoys all the rights in theconstitutional democracy including freedom of speech, freedom assemblyand freedom of press.

However, in the past few years Maldives havewitnessed a significant crackdown on the media. New rules and regulation restrictfreedom of assembly as well as freedom of expression and speech.

One such law is the Anti-defamation and freedom of expression Act which limits freedom of speech and expression with hefty fines.

(WION)