Authorities are working on a witness protection program for those testifying in cases being investigated by the Presidential Commission on Disappearances and Death (DDCom), the commission announced on Sunday.
In a statement published on the seventh anniversary of journalist Ahmed Rilwan’s forced disappearance, DDCom reassured that that they were working relentlessly to ensure justice was served in the case of the abducted journalist. The commission also stated that they were collaborating with the Maldives Police Service and international experts to improve the quality of their work.
Furthermore, the commission indicated that they were working on developing a witness protection plan, noting that many people with information regarding Rilwan’s abduction and death were scared to come forward.
DDCom went on to say that the witness protection program will be designed based on worldwide best practices with the assistance of government authorities to better fit the Maldives’ social, religious, political, and population situation.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih established the commission shortly after taking office in November 2018, having promised throughout his presidential campaign to bring justice to victims of enforced disappearances and murders.
According to preliminary DDCom investigation findings, Rilwan was abducted and killed by a group of Maldivian extremists linked with al-Qaeda.
