HRCM probes MDP complaint alleging abandonment of Hirimaradhoo residents

The Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM) has said it is investigating a complaint filed by the opposition MDP over the government’s decision to declare Hirimaradhoo an uninhabited island.

The MDP filed the complaint on August 9, alleging that residents of Hirimaradhoo were being deprived of basic services and left without clarity after the island’s status was changed.

In its written response to the MDP, HRCM said the matter falls within the Commission’s investigative mandate and that it has begun reviewing the complaint. The Commission said it will formally respond to the party once the investigation is complete.

Hirimaradhoo was declared an uninhabited island last December under a presidential resolution issued by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, transferring responsibility for the remaining population to the Hanimaadhoo Council. The MDP asked HRCM to treat the matter as a sensitive rights issue.

During his visit to HDh. Atoll last August, the President pledged to provide housing for Hirimaradhoo residents within 18 months. However, Housing Minister Dr. Abdulla Muthalib later told Parliament that the Hanimaadhoo Council was not cooperating with the project.

The MDP has called on the government to cancel the resolution declaring Hirimaradhoo uninhabited and to re-elect a council for the island if housing is not going to be provided.

Hirimaradhoo is the least populated island in the atoll. According to the latest census, the island has a population of 293 people, 157 males and 136 females.