Retrial of Blogger Yameen Rasheed to Conclude in Single Hearing, Criminal Court Says

A three-judge bench of the Criminal Court has announced that the retrial in the murder case of blogger Yameen Rasheed will be concluded in one final hearing, scheduled for 26 February.

Yameen Rasheed’s murder was previously tried in the Criminal Court, where Ismail Haisham Rashid of Annaarumage and Ahmed Zihan Ismail of 11399, Hulhumalé, were sentenced to life imprisonment. Five others — Mohamed Dhifran, Hassan Shifaz, Thoaif, Ismail Rasheed, and Hussain Ziad — were acquitted.

The verdict was later appealed by the Criminal Court to the High Court. In December last year, the High Court quashed the life sentences handed to the two convicted men and ordered a retrial of four suspects, including Ismail Rasheed and Dhifran, whose acquittals were overturned for re-examination.

During a hearing held yesterday, the Criminal Court confirmed it would hold only one more session to conclude the case. Prosecutors told the court they were not fully prepared, citing the need to verify the authenticity of a letter sent by a confidential prosecution witness, who claimed his earlier testimony had been given under duress. The High Court had instructed the Criminal Court to assess the validity of this letter.

Presiding Judge Ibrahim Ihsan said the High Court had already directed the lower court to proceed, emphasizing that the accused have remained in custody for an extended period without resolution. He added that, under the High Court’s instructions, additional statements from either the prosecution or defense were not required for the court to reach a decision.

Judge Ihsan stated that the entire case will be concluded at the next hearing. The bench also includes Justice Mohamed Misbah and Ali Nadheem.

All four accused are currently being held in custody pending the outcome of the retrial, under a Criminal Court order.