Supreme Court to review death penalty in murder case from 13 years ago

Supreme Court has granted approval to proceed with the appeal of a death penalty handed down to an individual who was a minor at the time of a fatal stabbing incident in Malé 13 years ago.

The case relates to the murder of Hussain Waheed, Ma. Aisha, who was fatally stabbed near his residence on the night of December 24, 2013. Reports from the time indicate that Waheed died after sustaining an eight-inch stab wound to the chest. Two individuals, both under the age of 18 at the time of the incident, were identified as the alleged perpetrators.

In 2015, the Juvenile Court sentenced both individuals to death after all nine legal heirs of the victim sought the death penalty. The High Court upheld the death penalty on April 30, 2019.

In a significant development on September 22, 2022, the victim’s mother submitted a letter to the Chief Justice, stating although all heirs had initially sought the death penalty for both defendants, she no longer wished for the sentence to be carried out against one of the individuals.

She explained that her decision follows a personal request for forgiveness from the individual concerned. The mother had indicated her willingness to appear before the court to confirm her statement should further clarification be required by the judiciary.

The current Supreme Court proceedings stem from an appeal filed by the other individual involved in the case. This latest application specifically concerns the second defendant. Due to the confidential nature of judicial proceedings involving minors, further details of the case have not been made public.