Maldives is banning Israeli citizens from entering the nation. The decision came as public anger in Maldives rose over the war in Gaza. President Mohamed Muizzu has resolved to impose a ban on Israeli passports as well.

Why did Maldives ban entry of Israeli citizens?

The official websites of the Maldivian president's office, the foreign ministry and the tourism ministry were restored in the early hours of Sunday (Jan 7) after being down since last night in a suspected cyberattack.

The official websites of the Maldivian president's office, the foreign ministry and the tourism ministry were restored in the early hours of Sunday (Jan 7) after being down since last night in a suspected cyberattack. The president's office had taken to its social media handles to report the unexpected disruption to the official websites. It informed that the National Centre for Information Technology and other relevant entities were actively working to resolve the issue. "Please note that the President’s Office website is currently facing an unexpected technical disruption. The National Centre for Information Technology (NCIT) and other relevant entities are actively working on resolving this promptly. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Thank you for your understanding and patience." Watch | Gravitas | Could Lakshadweep replace Maldives as tourist haven? × Lakshadweep vs Maldives debate Notably, the crashing of the government websites came hours after some Maldivian officials targeted India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ever since the Indian PM visited Lakshadweep - an archipelago consisting of 36 islands located in the Arabian Sea, there has been an online discourse about whether the picturesque region could be the next Maldives. The term was ‘googled’ by over 50,000 users on the second day of PM Modi’s Jan 2-3 visit to the territory. However, the discourse did not go down well with certain Maldivian government officials as well as social media users who started foul-mouthing PM Modi as well as India. Mariyam Shiuna, the deputy minister of youth empowerment, information and arts referred to PM Modi as a 'clown' and a 'puppet of Israel' after he posted images from his visit to the archipelago. “What a clown. The puppet of Israel Mr Narendra diver with a life jacket #VisitMaldives,” Shiuna posted on X. Also read | Maldives jittery as ‘Lakshadweep’ remains top trend in India for second consecutive day Zahid Rameez, a Council member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) also targeted India by posting: “The move is great. However, the idea of competing with us is delusional. How can they provide the service we offer? How can they be so clean? The permanent smell in the rooms will be the biggest downfall.” Maldives relies heavily on Indian tourists to keep its industry buoyant. According to a data, at the end of December 2023, as many as 209,198 Indian tourists arrived in Maldives for recreational purposes, making it the biggest demography to visit the island nation. (With inputs from agencies)

Maldivian government websites restored after outage due to suspected cyberattack

India on Thursday expressed its "deep dismay" over a Maldivian court sentencing the island nation's former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and the chief justice of its Supreme Court to long prison terms without a "fair trial".

The Ministry of External Affairs said the development casts a doubt on the Maldivian government's commitment to uphold the rule of law and will raise questions on the credibility of the presidential elections in that country, slated for September.

According to Maldivian media reports, Gayoom, 80, and Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed were handed similar prison terms of one year, seven months and six days by a court which found them guilty of obstructing justice.

In a statement, the MEA said India reiterated its "advice" to the Maldivian government to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process by immediately releasing political prisoners, including Gayoom and the chief justice.

Since the beginning of the political crisis in the Maldives, the ministry said, India has repeatedly urged the Maldivian government to allow all institutions, including its Supreme Court and Parliament, to function in an independent manner and permit genuine political dialogue between all political parties.

"This has also been the demand of the international community at large. It is, therefore, with deep dismay that we learned that the former president of the Maldives, as well as the chief justice of the Supreme Court, are being sentenced to long prison terms without fair trial," it said in a statement.&nbsp

"This casts doubt on the commitment of the Government of the Maldives to uphold the rule of law and will also call into question the credibility of the entire process of Presidential elections in September this year," the MEA said.

It said India believes that a democratic, stable and prosperous Maldives is in the interests of all its neighbours in the Indian Ocean.

"It reiterates its advice to the Government of the Maldives to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process by immediately releasing political prisoners including former President Gayoom and Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and creating the necessary conditions for the participation of all political forces in the Presidential Elections," the ministry said.&nbsp

Ties between India and Maldives nosedived after Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen declared emergency on February 5, following an order by the Supreme Court to release a group of Opposition leaders who had been convicted in widely-criticised trials.

On February 21, India reacted strongly over the extension of emergency by a month. The emergency was lifted 45 days later.

In February, Maldives declined India's invitation to participate in the eight-day mega naval exercise - Milan - from March 6-13.&nbsp

The Ministry of External Affairs said the development casts a doubt on the Maldivian government's commitment to uphold the rule of law and will raise questions on the credibility of the presidential elections in that country, slated for September.

India on Thursday expressed its "deep dismay" over a Maldivian court sentencing the island nation's former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and the chief justice of its Supreme Court to long prison terms without a "fair trial". The Ministry of External Affairs said the development casts a doubt on the Maldivian government's commitment to uphold the rule of law and will raise questions on the credibility of the presidential elections in that country, slated for September. According to Maldivian media reports, Gayoom, 80, and Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed were handed similar prison terms of one year, seven months and six days by a court which found them guilty of obstructing justice. In a statement, the MEA said India reiterated its "advice" to the Maldivian government to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process by immediately releasing political prisoners, including Gayoom and the chief justice. Since the beginning of the political crisis in the Maldives, the ministry said, India has repeatedly urged the Maldivian government to allow all institutions, including its Supreme Court and Parliament, to function in an independent manner and permit genuine political dialogue between all political parties. "This has also been the demand of the international community at large. It is, therefore, with deep dismay that we learned that the former president of the Maldives, as well as the chief justice of the Supreme Court, are being sentenced to long prison terms without fair trial," it said in a statement. "This casts doubt on the commitment of the Government of the Maldives to uphold the rule of law and will also call into question the credibility of the entire process of Presidential elections in September this year," the MEA said. It said India believes that a democratic, stable and prosperous Maldives is in the interests of all its neighbours in the Indian Ocean. "It reiterates its advice to the Government of the Maldives to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process by immediately releasing political prisoners including former President Gayoom and Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and creating the necessary conditions for the participation of all political forces in the Presidential Elections," the ministry said. Ties between India and Maldives nosedived after Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen declared emergency on February 5, following an order by the Supreme Court to release a group of Opposition leaders who had been convicted in widely-criticised trials. On February 21, India reacted strongly over the extension of emergency by a month. The emergency was lifted 45 days later. In February, Maldives declined India's invitation to participate in the eight-day mega naval exercise - Milan - from March 6-13.

India dismayed over long prison terms to former Maldivian president, chief justice

India today said it was imperative for &quot;all organs&quot; of the Maldivian government to abide by the country&#39;s Supreme Court order to release all political prisoners &quot;in the spirit of democracy&quot;.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it was &quot;closely monitoring&quot; the evolving situation in the Maldives and also hoped that the safety and security of Indian expatriates in the island nation would be ensured by the Maldivian authorities under &quot;all circumstances&quot;.

The Maldivian Supreme Court, in a significant development yesterday, ordered the immediate release of the former president Mohamed Nasheed and other opposition leaders

&quot;We have seen last night?s order of the Supreme Court of Maldives releasing all political prisoners. In the spirit of democracy and rule of law, it is imperative for all organs of the Government of Maldives to respect and abide by the order of the apex court,&quot; the MEA said.

It said that as a close and friendly neighbour, India wishes to see a stable, peaceful and prosperous Maldives.

&quot;We are closely monitoring the evolving situation,&quot; said the MEA.

The island nation has witnessed political unrest and street protests since Nasheed was convicted in 2015 on terror charges and sentenced to 13 years in jail.

There were reports of clashes between supporters of Nasheed and police in the capital city Male today where hundreds of policemen were deployed to restore peace.

Nasheed was earlier granted asylum by the UK after he was authorised to seek medical treatment there amid mounting foreign pressure.

The leader, who is currently in Sri Lanka, welcomed the court order and said President Abdulla Yameen must resign in the wake of the ruling by the apex court.

&quot;Welcome tonight&#39;s SC ruling calling for the immediate release of political prisoners and the restoration of their civil and political rights. President Yameen must abide by this ruling and resign. Urge all citizens to avoid confrontation and engage in peaceful political activity,&quot; Nasheed tweeted.

In a statement, the MEA said it was 'closely monitoring' the evolving situation in the Maldives and also hoped that the safety and security of Indian expatriates in the island nation would be ensured by the Maldivian authorities under 'all circumstances'

India today said it was imperative for "all organs" of the Maldivian government to abide by the country's Supreme Court order to release all political prisoners "in the spirit of democracy". In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it was "closely monitoring" the evolving situation in the Maldives and also hoped that the safety and security of Indian expatriates in the island nation would be ensured by the Maldivian authorities under "all circumstances". The Maldivian Supreme Court, in a significant development yesterday, ordered the immediate release of the former president Mohamed Nasheed and other opposition leaders "We have seen last night?s order of the Supreme Court of Maldives releasing all political prisoners. In the spirit of democracy and rule of law, it is imperative for all organs of the Government of Maldives to respect and abide by the order of the apex court," the MEA said. It said that as a close and friendly neighbour, India wishes to see a stable, peaceful and prosperous Maldives. "We are closely monitoring the evolving situation," said the MEA. The island nation has witnessed political unrest and street protests since Nasheed was convicted in 2015 on terror charges and sentenced to 13 years in jail. There were reports of clashes between supporters of Nasheed and police in the capital city Male today where hundreds of policemen were deployed to restore peace. Nasheed was earlier granted asylum by the UK after he was authorised to seek medical treatment there amid mounting foreign pressure. The leader, who is currently in Sri Lanka, welcomed the court order and said President Abdulla Yameen must resign in the wake of the ruling by the apex court. "Welcome tonight's SC ruling calling for the immediate release of political prisoners and the restoration of their civil and political rights. President Yameen must abide by this ruling and resign. Urge all citizens to avoid confrontation and engage in peaceful political activity," Nasheed tweeted.

Imperative for Maldivian govt to abide by SC ruling: India