Authorities Resume Use of MoniCon Tags

State authorities in the Maldives have resumed the use of Monitor and Control (MoniCon) tags as a means to monitor criminals, according to an announcement made by Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdulla.
The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has been granted the authority to employ electronic ankle tags, under the supervision of a court order. Minister Imran expressed confidence that the administrative and implementation challenges experienced in the past will be effectively addressed this time around.
He further emphasized that while MoniCon tags are permitted under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the government intends to explore additional applications for the tags, with the aim of reducing the country’s prison population.
The deployment of MoniCon tags has recently been implemented on Ahmed Ismail, who is currently facing charges related to conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism and aiding and abetting an act of terrorism in connection with the murder of journalist Ahmed Rilwan. Ahmed Ismail’s trial is currently ongoing at the Criminal Court.
Last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs procured 100 MoniCon tags. These tags are issued by the High Court upon request by the home ministry and enable the government to monitor the activities of individuals who have been released from prison. Violation of the MoniCon order can result in the court imposing imprisonment on the individual in question.