Leaders of the Youth Protests Shiman and Mahzoom Charged

Two prominent youth activists who led protests demanding justice for a 21-year-old woman who fell from a building in Malé on April 18, have been officially charged.

Aishath Shiman and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, both of whom played leading roles in the protests, have been charged with offenses related to their confrontation with law enforcement officers during a demonstration.

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According to the chargesheet:

• Mahzoom has been charged under Section 120B(3) of the Penal Code, which criminalizes assault or use of force against law enforcement or military personnel. If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of one year, seven months, and six days, with the maximum penalty reaching up to four years in prison.
• Shiman has been charged under Section 532A of the Penal Code for obstructing law enforcement personnel from performing official duties. The offense carries a minimum sentence of four months and 24 days, and a maximum of one year of imprisonment.

On the social media platform X, Mahzoom responded defiantly:

“Regardless of the threats you make, the efforts of the reform movement cannot be halted. This indictment reveals that justice does not exist in the nation!”

Shiman, known for her vocal advocacy on social justice issues, condemned the charges as baseless:

“All of this occurred live on television. There is no room for falsehoods,” she wrote. “They assaulted Mahzoom, tore his shirt, and pushed him to the ground. They charged at us without any warning. They made unlawful arrests and held us detained. Now they are filing charges against us, accusing us of actions that they themselves perpetrated. Absolutely ridiculous.”

Main Suspect in Woman’s Fall Faces Lesser Offense

While the protest leaders face serious legal consequences, Raudh Ahmed Zilal—the main suspect in the widely followed case of the woman who fell from the ninth floor of a Henveiru building—has been charged with a lesser offense: failing to assist a person in danger without justifiable reason.

This charge carries a sentence of just six days to one month in prison. Raudh had already spent more than a month in custody and was released following the advice of the Prosecutor General’s Office, as his remand had exceeded the likely sentence.

Raudh was first arrested on April 24, six days after the woman was found critically injured on the rooftop of a warehouse near Fentoniya. Although a 20-day remand was issued on May 20, procedural issues led to his release two days later. He was re-arrested the same day under a new court order. His legal team criticized the authorities for disregarding valid court rulings, which resulted in the cancellation of a scheduled High Court hearing.

Police suspect Raudh was intoxicated during the incident and have not ruled out the possibility of sexual exploitation. However, no further charges have been filed.

Allegations of Political Interference

The case has attracted widespread scrutiny due to Raudh’s connections. He is the younger brother of Daudh Ahmed Zilal, the former Under Secretary for Digital Strategy at the President’s Office, who was suspended without pay following public criticism.

Following an official investigation, Daudh was later dismissed from his position after being found to have provided false information during the inquiry.